Untold Stories of the Inquisition: Karliah
by LilithiaWR
Summary: Karliah was sentenced to the Rite of Tranquility after defending herself against a Templar. After receiving the aid of a spirit Karliah escaped to join the mage underground, eventually leading one of the branches of the Rebellion. Joining the Inquisition secured their safety, but Karliah has good reason to avoid the Templars. Too bad she keeps running into one. Cullen rivalmance.
1. Chapter 1 - Possession

**Okay, so I promise I'm gonna update Down Came Heaven real soon. I promise guys. Anyway, this is going to be part of a mini-series of short stories involving what-ifs and side characters in the Inquisition.**

 **Also, I don't own anything accept my character.**

 **Full Summary:**

 **Karliah was sentenced to the Rite of Tranquility after defending herself against a templar. Years later she's joined the Mage Rebellion, right hand to Fiona the Grand Enchanter, leader of her own faction of mages, and a feared enemy of the Order. Joining the Inquisition gave the mages the leverage to press for permanent freedom, and Karliah was in full support of it. There was one hitch - the Templars. If it wasn't bad enough that Karliah loathed those silver tanks, she had a secret that could get her killed**

 **She was possessed by a spirit.**

 **CullenXOC rivalmance, M!Trevelyan friendship**

* * *

"Templars!"

A young apprentice yelled as he ran back to camp, fear written across his face. He was young, barely a teenager, with no staff or robes. Most of them were dressed like farmers, having scavenged clothing from the vacant villages and farmhouses that were the result of the Mage-Templar war. It was easier to pass as civilians, despite the danger of bandits and rogue mages/templars.

Karliah, however, had kept her battlemage robes on, quickly reaching for her staff and standing to approach the boy. "How many and how far from here?" She demanded.

"Not far!" The boy panted as he slowed to a stop in front of her. "I spotted them at the base of this mountain. They were heading this way!"

There were several others that still had their robes and staffs, mostly older enchanters that acted as the guardians of this small group of mage refugees she had gathered. They all stood up and began ushering the younger and inexperienced mages further into the cavern they were holed up in, while a few others approached her, ready for battle. Karliah glanced at one of them Rosier, an enchanter from Ferelden and an expert on wards.

"You know what to do." Was all she told him as she approached the mouth of the cave, pulling up her hood to cover her face as she walked into the sunlight, followed by several others that had volunteered to fight. They felt their backs tingle as a ward went up behind them, just in case the Templars made it that far.

There were four enchanters accompanying her: Micah, a young but experienced force mage from the Free Marches, having escaped the horrors of Kirkwall's circle long before this blasted war. Shanelle, a dark-skinned beauty from Rivain that studied demons and blood magic. Orphin was a bit of a mystery, an older elven apostate that knew the Dalish keeper magic and had the ability to shapeshift. Hadir was a spirit healer, previously the First Enchanter to the Circle of Dumais, a small city in the Free Marches which had gone up in flames when the war first broke out. Only a small group of mages managed to escape their Circle before the Templars went on a killing spree.

They remained hidden in the mouth of the cave, hoping that the Templars would simply pass by without noticing them. But they were unsurprised when the Templars charged right at them, apparently already aware of their location.

' _I knew we had stayed here too long.'_ Karliah thought as Micah created an abyss in the center of the Templars and dragged them into a pile.

Karliah cast a blizzard above them, momentarily freezing the men while Shanelle used blood magic to take control of several men. When the templars began thawing out, Shanelle had her thralls attack their comrades. Orphin summoned sharp, thorny roots to burst forth from the ground and strangle the templars caught in their hold, while Hadir cast a barrier over them to keep the templars from attacking them.

Between their combined attacks the rest of the templars died quickly, Micah already looting their bodies before the last of them had closed his eyes.

"They've got some supplies on them." Micah said as he stood up with his arms full of spare clothing, a flint, and some knives. "We can sell their valuables at the next village."

Karliah nodded, then turned to Hadir. "Go tell Rosier he can lower the ward, and prepare the others to travel. We can't stay here."

The former Fist Enchanter accepted her orders easily and walked back into the cavern, followed by Shanelle and Micah. Orphin remained, burning the bodies with a muttered prayer, and then Karliah used earth magic to open up crevices that swallowed what was left. That way the children would not see the carnage as they exited the cave.

"We can't keep this up." Orphin whispered to her, his eyes lined with age and stress. "We're too many, and not enough food. It's too easy for the Templars to find us."

"I won't stop." Karliah snapped as she kicked dirt over one of the raised mounds of earth that served as a templar grave. "I won't stop taking in mages in need, and I won't split us up. We are stronger together."

"Then what do you suggest?" The old elf raised his eyebrows.

"I suggest we start learning how to hunt and fish for ourselves." Karliah replied dryly as she turned toward the sound of hushed voices, gradually gaining volume as a crowd of mage refugees emerged from the cavern behind them. She could see the younger ones looking for signs of the battle, mesmerized by the blood on the ground.

"There's more caves to the west." One of the apprentices spoke up, his accent Ferelden. Liam was a native of the Hinterlands, lucky for them, and had been their guide to several of their hideaways for the past few months.

"Lead the way." Karliah nodded to him.

* * *

Karliah had never been the heroic type. Once she had been young and innocent, living a peaceful life in the Circle tower, eagerly learning about the Fade, the spirits, and playing with elemental magic. Coming from the slums of Ostwick, her earliest memories were only of hunger and sorrow. The food, shelter, and safety that the Circle had provided to her seemed like heaven at first. She never went hungry, she got to use her magic, and she was surrounded by others just like her. It seemed like paradise… until a templar attacked her.

Sometimes she still dreamed about it, his hands tearing at her robes, hot breath against her neck, the hand on her mouth muffling her screams. She had retaliated, defended herself, but still she was condemned by the Order.

They had imprisoned her and sentenced her to a fate worse than death. Karliah could still feel the burn of the brand on her forehead, her throat raw from screaming as hot iron was pressed down, her skin melting, sizzling, the smell of burned flesh in the air. She remembered the anger filling her up, her scream turning into a snarl of defiance, the burning of her face barely matching the fiery rage inside her.

Then she had been filled with emptiness, all light, sound, and emotion erased. After that, there was only silence, and it drove her mad, but there was nothing she could do to express her agony – the screams filled her throat, tears filled her eyes, but in the end, they were just figments of her imagination. She touched and felt nothing, listened but heard no song, she moved in slow motion. She watched the Templars taunt her but could not retaliate, could not even find the will to talk back. It was like being trapped behind glass, watching herself move and act without permission.

And then – _Dawn._

Ever since she had been locked in the cells beneath the tower she had felt something else watching, movement in the corner of her eye, a whisper in the shadows. The night before the Rite she had felt is brush her in the Fade, a flash of emotion, something heated, passionate, angry.

Her first night as a Tranquil it was waiting for her when they returned her to her cell, and when it reached out to her, she felt it recoil at the nothingness inside her. The whispers turned to hisses and then it rushed towards her to hover in front of her. It flickered as it passed the torch, like light filtering through a prism, a body of smoke and shadow.

She felt it touch her brow, then cup her face with something that resembled hands. She looked up into, _through_ , it but saw nothing substantial, the form in constant flux, changing too fast for her eyes to register a shape. She _felt_ as it touched her, warmth, reality, felt more than she had in the past day and she wanted to cry in relief. There was a song, the hum of magic, distant, quiet, but growing in strength.

And then the spirit engulfed her, slowly tipping over and crashing down on her in a wave of _something_ , not quite magic, not quite spirit. She felt every inch of her skin tingle as it rippled through her, into her, filling her up like water in an empty cup. The tears finally fell, her voice released a sharp laugh of disbelief.

She was _alive_ again.

The presence was in her head now, the song pounding through her mind like the march of war drums, a soaring symphony, and magic hummed through her veins stronger than ever before. She could see not only the world in front of her, but also the Fade overlapping it, she saw the pulse of the veil on every inch of the room before her, even beyond that.

A spirit had possessed her. She never thought she would be grateful for such a thing.

The door to the dungeon jangled, and Karliah sucked in a breath. What to do now? She couldn't hide the change forever, and when they realized that the Rite had been broken they would kill her!

She felt the spirit inside her push. It wanted to leave. Beyond the cell, beyond the tower. Escape. Escape. Escape.

"Hehe, all Tranquil now, little girl."

Oh god please no. It was _him_. No, no, no, no!

The templar leered at her with a sickening expression, his eyes roving up and down her body so maliciously that her body shivered, like there were worms squirming beneath her skin.

 **Him**. She felt the spirit swell inside her, filling with anger and outrage. **Monster**. It hissed.

"Ye can't stop me now. Can't even protest, right? You have to do as I say." The templar chuckled as he approached her cell, peering at her through the shadows.

"Hey… who are you?"

Her attention was drawn away from the spirit's odd reactions and she looked into his hungry eyes, his expression becoming confused.

"Didn't ye have brown hair yesterday? And look at yer eyes!"

Her eyes? Hair? What were they talking about? Karliah didn't have time to dwell on his confusion because the templar was reaching for his sword.

 **No!** She felt a negative response echo through her body, and suddenly her limbs were moving without her consent. The spirit commandeered her body, launching her forward grabbing his face with her hand, magic pumping through her arm, and suddenly he was screeching and reeling away from her, the right side of his face nearly burned off.

 **Die** _._ The spirit was hissing and spitting inside her, filled with so much hatred that she could feel it changing, the warmth of its presence turning to a molten heat, lighting her veins with fire.

' _No!'_ She thought pulling it back, struggling to control it. She remembered her lessons on spirits that left the Fade. Even the good ones were easily corrupted by this world, especially by negative emotions and events.

Her hatred and fear of the templar was driving the spirit inside her crazy, turning him into a demon! She had to stop it!

"You… What the fuck did you do?!" The templar growled as he jumped to his feet and swung his blade at her.

The spirit forced her to duck and roll away, her movements hampered by her robes. **Why.**

She couldn't let the spirit kill him (as much as she'd love to). She didn't know what exactly it was a spirit of, but she knew that such a negative act could push the spirit over the edge and create a demon. She was _not_ becoming an abomination after breaking her Tranquility!

The templar came at her again, and this time Karliah ducked and somehow managed to trip him, sending him sprawling to the ground. She pounced just as he rolled over, and slammed his head back into the ground, once, twice, **Kill him!**

' _No!'_ She screamed, yanking back control of her body and launching herself off of the man. She wrapped her arms around her torso, as if that would somehow keep her body still, trembling as she fought for control in her head.

 **Why.**

' _Because you will turn into a demon!'_ She yelled back at it. ' _It's for your own good!'_

She felt the spirit pause.

 _Confusion, realization, surprise. They human cared for it? It was not even alive. But the human was right. It had come to help. Demons did not help._

A wave of shame swept through her; the spirit was apologizing. Then she felt it turn its attention to the door.

 **Go.**

Karliah was shaking as she stepped over the unconscious templar and went to the door, poking her out to check for guards. There were none. The templar probably sent them away so that no one would hear anything.

She shivered at the thought.

The spirit flashed images in her mind, a tunnel, dark, damp, secret. She followed his directions and made her way towards the basement, using a freezing spell to smash the old, brittle lock on the door. She slipped through and made her way through the dark to the back of the room, cursing under her breath as she tripped over various boxes and slammed her shin into a table or something. She nearly smacked her face into the back wall, feeling her way across it until she felt a small, narrow door. It was closed, locked, but the wood was old and rotted, and it gave easily when she slammed her shoulder into it.

She cupped her hand and called a small ball of flame to life, glancing back into the dark doorway before looking ahead. The tunnel was natural, all rock and mud, water dripping somewhere, the air moist but stale.

 _ **Freedom**_ _._

* * *

Karliah escaped the city and made her way through the Free Marches, avoiding the cities and learning to live on her own. With the spirit inside her, her magic had doubled in strength and mana, and she eventually learned that she did not even need a staff to perform basic magic. It had not taken her long to realize that her contact with the spirit had not only changed her internally, but physically as well. A few days on the road she had stumbled upon a lake and stared at her reflecting, not recognizing the woman that looked back at her, and then disbelieving what she saw.

Once, Karliah had been a rather plain girl – curly brown hair, brown eyes. She was pretty, she supposed, with fine bone structure, full lips, and a friendly face. But now, she did not even look real. Her hair had turned white, shimmering with pale gold in the sunlight, and her eyes had lost all color and looked like liquid silver, practically glowing against her tanned skin. And with the piercing, distrustful expression that now sat permanently on her face she seemed inhuman.

There was not a templar in the world that would not look at her and know something was wrong.

She spent two years traveling and meditating, coming to terms with the spirit lodged permanently in her head and working on finding a balance between herself and her guest. It had not been easy – she had to learn how to control her magic all over again, and learn an entirely different kind of spirit magic than what was traditionally taught in the Circles.

She named it Dawn – the light in her darkness, her new beginning.

Hosting a spirit meant that the Fade was much more physical now, as real as the waking world in her dreams, and still tangible when she was awake. Dawn was always there to greet her in the Fade, waiting for her the moment she closed her eyes. Dawn was always touching her in the Fade, claiming ownership, snarling at demons that approached her. Karliah had never slept so easily, knowing that she no longer had to worry about them.

In the Fade, Dawn took the form of a small dragon, which probably had something to do with her fascination with the creatures since she was little. She remembered reading about the different species in the library, sketching their forms onto her homework, dreaming about joining the University of Orlais and becoming a zoologist – a dream that was quickly shattered. She wondered why Dawn would pick up on that, wondered what its true nature was. Even today, she did not know.

She eventually fell in with the mage underground, even before some idiot blew up a Chantry. While she was still in the Free Marches she had joined the mage underground and helped children and abused mages escape their fates, sometimes taking a few of the untrained under her wing to teach them control and basic spells before sending them off into the world. She worked side-jobs with various mercenary companies to earn a fair amount of coin and keeping her skills up to par, often giving the money to runaway mages so that they had a head start wherever they were going.

Karliah had arrived in Ferelden just as word of what happened in Kirkwall had reached its shores. She had been horrified and extremely angry. That damn idiot had set them back years! No one was going to show them mercy now. What if they started calling for the annulment of all the Circles? There was nowhere for those mages to run!

He had single-handedly destroyed thousands of lives and condemned many more.

When the Mage-Templar War broke out, Karliah had made her way to Lake Calenhad just in time to see the tower in flames and abandoned. There were still mages loitering about, however, hiding in the countryside from templar hunters. It started out as an offer to help, an offer to band together for protection, and word seemed to spread. More and more mages appeared, asking for the protection of the group of now-apostates.

She moved them away from the lake and up into the hills, taking in more mages as they went, even a few civilians. They fought off the Templars that managed to track them, killed the rogues when they came upon them, and defended what civilians they could. They scavenged supplies wherever they went, and set up semi-permanent bases in the cave systems of the Hinterlands.

Karliah had a strict rule in her group – no unnecessary violence. Nothing that would draw attention to the group of apostates. As much as she hated Templars, unnecessary violence would endanger the innocents in their group. Those that thirsted for war moved on to join the Rebellion.

Most of her group were children, unfortunately. Young mages that had nowhere to go when the towers fell, and had no way of defending themselves. She tried not to think about what had happened to those left behind.

Karliah was still teaching them how to hunt and fish. They had acquired several bows and fishing poles from abandoned homes, but arrows were harder to come by. Hunting with magic was hard to do without damaging the meat, but it was good for practicing aim and precision.

When word that the main force of the Rebellion had settled in Ferelden, Karliah was less-than-pleased. There were too many inexperienced among them, too many that had been cooped up in the towers for too long, too eager to see the world, too many that were bitter and angry and wanted to turn that rage upon innocent civilians.

Karliah and the members of her group which had been with her the longest, Orphin and Micah, had gone with her to their camp across the valley to speak with Grand Enchanter Fiona. They had been reluctant to join the rebellion, preferring to protect their own than pick a fight with the Templars.

Karliah agreed to join them, but it was a loose alliance. They agreed to keep sending the children and the noncombatant mages to the mountains, a separate noncombatant group for the young and the frail to keep them out of the war, while Karliah and her few offensive mages would join the fight.

For months Karliah and her companions fought off the Templars, never really gaining ground, the lines between their factions going back and forth. One day the Templars held the high ground, the next day the mages did. One day the fort was theirs, and the next it was lost to them.

There was one positive side to it all – she got to kill Templars.

Whatever Dawn was, the spirit certainly enjoyed the thrill of battle. Karliah's veins hummed with magic, drawn from an impossible deep well of Fade-fed mana. The elements danced at her fingertips, blizzards roaring, fire blazing, earth rumbling, electricity cracking.

Karliah reveled in the screams of the Templars, remembered the look of greed, arrogance and pleasure on their faces whenever she had watched them abuse the mages, and smirked when they died at her hand.

Micah dragged their bodies through the air with a wave of his hand, smacking them against the rocks until they went limp. Shanelle made their blood boil and comrades turn on each other. Orphin would shift into a spider or bear or wolf and attack the Templars as they panicked at the sight of the unfamiliar magic. Hadir stood at the back and cast barrier and healing spells, while casting curses upon the Templars that weakened them or put them to sleep.

It was horrifying chaos, but there was something so satisfying about tearing your oldest enemy apart, limb from limb, every day and every night. Karliah smirked and Dawn hummed with happiness when they walked through the aftermath of a battle to see the ground littered with broken bodies and broken swords.

They had even earned a moniker – the White Witch and the Four Horsemen. Rather creative for the single-minded templars. The most feared team of templar-hunters in the Rebellion. They had killed more templars than the rest of the other mages combined, and could take out a single templar camp with only five of them. Karliah was the leader, famed for her distinctive white hair, and the rest where just as well known for their powerful magic and ruthless spellwork. Micah and Shanelle were especially bloodthirsty, usually only a whack on the head from Karliah's staff could get them to calm down from a battle frenzy.

A year passed in blood and fire and magic. Karliah and her companions were becoming frighteningly bored with how easy killing had become. They knew all the templar weaknesses now, where there was a chink in the armor, how to avoid magic dispersion, how to destroy their morale with a single blow. They were also sent to deal with mage rogues, especially those that targeted civilians and refugees that had nothing to do with the war.

Karliah had become Fiona's right hand, her closest confidant. They both wanted to put the safety of the mages first, both wanted to minimize civilian casualties, and both were against the war, despite leading it. Karliah was ruthless, calculating, her time as an apostate having taught her the harsh reality of survival. Fiona was strategic, determined, a former Grey Warden who had plenty of experience commanding a military force. Together they made a formidable team, analyzing templar formations and attacking them swiftly and efficiently. But they were still outnumbered by the Templars, and it was becoming harder and harder to hide the bases where the non-fighting mages were hidden.

Then the Conclave was announced.

"The Chantry wants to meet with us _and_ the Templars? In the same room?" Karliah snorted in disbelief. "There will be a bloodbath for sure."

"The Templars have disregarded much of their duty to the Chantry," Fiona admitted as she looked over the thick vellum letter in her hands, a bright red wax seal and pretty ribbon dangling from one edge. Very official-looking. "But they would not ignore this."

"How did they even find out where to send the letter?" Karliah asked cautiously.

"A chantry cleric stopped one of our men and handed it to him." Fiona answered. "Told him to bring it to me."

Karliah chuckled darkly. "And he wasn't incinerated, frozen, or electrocuted? Lucky man."

"Take this seriously, Karliah." Fiona stood up and placed the letter on her table, her office space looking out of place in the large cavern they were hidden in. "This could actually be our answer."

Karliah's face was skeptical. "Do you really trust the Chantry? Of all people?"

"I trust the one who leads it." Fiona said. "Divine Justinia warned the clergy about the dissent of the Circles long before this war. She always preached about reform."

Karliah had not known that. Then again, she had never paid attention to the Chantry. As an apprentice in the tower, she had attended the services and said her prayers dutifully, but they were hollow words.

"But you're not actually going to go, are you?" Karliah asked the elven mage. "What if it's a trap? Or if you are attacked? We can't risk losing you."

"You are a capable leader." Fiona pointed out.

"Ha!" Karliah barked. "Fiona, you know that half of these mages don't trust me. They fear me, and my horsemen."

Fiona smothered a laugh at that. "Then I'll send you."

" _No._ " Karliah growled, pointing to the bandages wrapped around her forehead and tugging on her white hair. "I'm possessed, remember? I ain't going anywhere _near_ those Templars, _especially_ with the Chantry nearby. They'd take one look at me and call for an Exalted March."

Well, she had a point. Fiona sighed. "Then who do you suggest?"

Karliah shrugged and crossed her arms as she leaned against the enchanter's desk.. "Anyone but me?"

Fiona sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine. I'll speak to the other lieutenants."

"Good luck finding someone willing." Karliah snickered.

The Grand Enchanter rolled her eyes and shook her head at Karliah. "I received word this morning of templar patrols wandering too close to the western camp for comfort. If you're not going to help me here, then go take care of it."

Karliah muttered under her breath as she turned to look at an open note on the desk next to a map that was marked with her target. "Geez, slave driver."

"You could always go to the Conclave~" Fiona sang as she walked away.

" _No_."

* * *

The caverns that the Rebellion was holed up in were not too bad. The caves were wide and the ceiling stretched high enough that it was not claustrophobic. There were gaps above that allowed the sunlight to shine through and light up far more than torches could hope to accomplish. Off to the one side was a waterfall, sourced from groundwater and flowing into a small stream that eventually made its way to the river. She was resting on a bedroll beside one of the fires, leaning back on her arm while the other draped over the knee of her propped leg. She had been speaking with one of the other mages about a magical theory about object possession when they were interrupted by a stiff voice.

"Karliah."

The tanned Marcher looked up to see Fiona approach her with a dire expression. She held a letter in her hand, frayed at the edges, slightly stained by travel and dirt.

"Yes?" Karliah stood up immediately, eyes darting to the letter.

Fiona nodded her head in the direction of her tent, clearly indicating that they should speak alone. Karliah followed her through the flaps, the enchantress snapping her fingers to place a privacy ward around them, ensuring no one would listen in on their conversation.

"How far can you Fade-step?" She began the conversation, turning to face Karliah.

The witch shrugged. "I haven't really measured it before, but I can certainly go farther than the average mage, given my… circumstances." She pointed to her bandaged forehead. "Why? What has happened?"

"Another annulment."

Kalriah sucked in a sharp breath.

Fiona seemed to age ten years as she handed the letter to Karliah. The younger mage took the letter in hand and ran her eyes across the page, a sinking feeling in her gut. Dawn hissed in anger as the words filtered through her mind.

 _Grand Enchanter Fiona,_

 _I pray that this letter reaches you soon. I do not know how much longer we can hold._

 _When the other Circles rose up, the Chantry sent Seekers across the bay from Ayesleigh to investigate. They found us mixing freely with our families, training female mages in the traditions of the seers, and denounced us as apostates._

 _They brought with them a small army of templars. We fought. And we might have won. But they invoked the Right of Annulment, with all the unrelenting brutality that allowed. All with magic are to be executed, from the youngest apprentice to the retired enchanters. They will burn our libraries, destroy our tower and all the priceless artifacts within. It will be a massacre._

 _Perhaps they thought we were spineless robes who could be intimidated with a little bloodshed. Before I was first enchanter, I was the daughter of Captain Revaud, of the Felicisima Armada. I know how to plan a battle. We of the Dairsmuid Circle wait now, behind barricades. When they break through, we will not die alone._

 _Fiona, send aid if you can. If not, do not forget the sins that occurred this day. The Chantry and their Templars will not be forgiven._

— _First Enchanter Rivella of Dairsmuid, 9:40 Dragon_

Karliah looked back up at Fiona with a grim expression. "Is anything left of them?"

"I do not know." The enchantress shook her head sadly. "A letter from Rivain to Ferelden can take two weeks or more to deliver."

"You want me to go there and see for myself."

Fiona nodded. She knew that Karliah's spirit possession meant that she could fold the Fade and easily travel across half the country in one step. It would take a hell of a lot of lyrium, but she could be in Rivain in just a few days.

Dawn was still hissing and spitting in her head, **Templars, traitors, protectors turned jailors, and now executioners. No matter what the priests say, they shall not be absolved of their sins! We shall burn them, Karliah, and cleanse the world of their stain.**

Unconsciously, Karliah nodded in agreement. "I will go."

* * *

 **Lots of information in this chapter, sorry if it's confusing. Things will straighten out in the next few chapters.**

 **Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2 - The Broken Circle

**STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIES**

 **Let's take a walk, shall we?**

* * *

Time passed differently in the Fade. She could never be sure how long it would take for her to travel across the physical world when she Fade-stepped. It only felt like a minute or two in the Fade, the warped landscape flying past her in a blur of colors, as if she were running with the wind at her back, but there was no wind in the Fade, and she was walking at a casual pace. She felt the drain on her mana immediately, her magic syphoning into the Fade too fast for her to grasp it, pouring out of her like blood from an open wound.

When her mana was nearly depleted Karliah cut off from the Fade and exited into the physical world, tired and drained, and immediately gulps down an entire lyrium potion before she passes out. Both she and Dawn are exhausted by the strain the spell puts on them both, the spirit strengthens her connection to the Fade so that it hurts less as she pushes against the veil, guiding her through the Fade while Karliah fuels their journey.

She repeats the process several times, consuming more lyrium to the point of endangering her health. Her body is jittery, fatigued but too tired to sleep, her hands trembling as she retires for the night in ancient elven ruins still maintained protective wards to keep out wild animals and wandering humans.

It continued this way for four days, as she could only Fade-step once or twice a day depending on the distance. The first day she crossed the entire heartland of Ferelden, appearing on the northern coast by Amaranthine. The next day she jumped across the strait of the Waking Sea to Brandel's Reach island, skirting around Ostwick, and jumping to the Free March city of Hercinia. She splurged some coin to rent a room at an inn for the night, someplace on the outskirts of the city, dark, damp, but didn't ask questions to a woman with strange hair and a mage staff.

The next day she was in Antiva, the port city of Salle founded on the point of a cliff and facing Dairsmuid across the Rialto bay. The next morning she stepped across the water to Dairsmud, aiming to land in the hills beyond the city, hidden in the thicket and panting from the effort as a shaky hand popped off the top of a bottle and chugged more lyrium.

She could smell the smoke from where she hid, a black haze hanging above the city and the surrounding farmland, the edges of the city orange with distant fire. She was wise enough to stay back and allow herself to recuperate, but even this far from the city she could hear a distant din of metal and shouting, and had to close her eyes to push away the urge to run in and join the fray.

 **I know you want to help, but rest first.** Dawn whispered to her. **Slip into the Fade and draw on its energy. You will recover your mana faster.**

Karliah nodded and cast several protective wards before she leaned against a tree and allowed her eyes to slip shut. Dawn withdrew from her body, her forehead stinging as she fell unconscious, the spirit emerging from her chest in an effervescent blue, a wisp without form. It stretched and flattened, a cloud descending across the woods around them, aware of every living creature within its perimeter. No one would stumble upon the sleeping mage under its watch.

* * *

The city was in ruins, but the tower of Dairsmuid continued to stand tall. It was slow going for the Templars, every inch, every alley, every neighborhood that they conquered of the city paid in blood. Rivaini culture was inherently sympathetic to mages, who were cultural leaders in the traditional society, where magic was woven into the nets of the fishermen, watered the seeds in the soil, blessed babies and communed with the spirits of the land. When the Chantry had come down on Dairsmuid, the Rivaini rose up to defend their seers, farmers and fishermen taking up sickles and spears, barricading the city into a maze of stone walls and collapsed buildings. They were like ocean waves crashing against the cliff walls, two impossible forces, time the greater enemy as the templars lost men and the Rivaini lost ground.

Rivella Revaud, First Enchanter to the Circle of Dairsmuid, watched the chaos from her tower, arms crossed, biting her nails as the scent of blood, fire, and the tang of magic filled the air. It was quiet at the moment, the days in Rivain were too hot for the foreign templars to stand the heat and humidity inherent to the coast, more liable to die of heatstroke and dehydration in their metal shells than in battle. But as soon as the sun began to set they would prepare another siege on the city.

Perhaps they would break through this time, perhaps not. Her people were strong and determined, but supplies was low, food was short, and the other cities could not send aid without being detained by the templars waiting like hungry wolves outside.

The mage healers were doing their best to alleviate the ails of the people that had stood with them, but there was only so much they could do. The tower was filled with those too injured to continued fighting, unable to leave the city for help. Their lyrium supply was dwindling. They would be making their last stand soon.

At last the sun began to descend, and a sea of silver began encroaching upon the walls of the city once more.

"Madam."

Rivella turned see her apprentice standing in parade rest behind her, a girl turned woman now, hardened by the horrors of the last few days. Eyes flinty, jaw set in a determined scowl, Nimwe was lighter than most Rivaini, skin like warm caramel, dreadlocks pulled up in a ponytail. She would make a wonderful seer and successor, if she ever survived this.

And if Rivella survived this she was taking a long vacation.

"The Templars are on the move again." Nimwe told her, following her mentor's gaze out the window to where the templars were marching into the outer ring of the city. "Our soldiers are setting up archers along the inner wall, and mages are standing by to assist. We've set up traps along the main streets, physical and magical, and protective wards have been cast along the battlements. The healers are hidden, but close enough to provide support and barriers."

"Good." Rivella nodded, and despite her robes and mage status, looked more like a war-hardened general than First Enchanter, face lined with stress and fading beauty, body lean and muscled beneath a fine coat of chainmail. She turned and walked out of her office, Nimwe following behind her. "Time to face our enemy."

The headed to the battlements of the tower, still out of range of most of the fighting, but close enough to give the enchantress a better view of the battle about to take place. Archers and battlemages lines the walls of the city, the local militia tense as they waited behind barricades and magical barriers. Support and healer mages were further back, joining Rivella on the tower to assist the fight.

Rivella took a moment to reflect on the words of her father when she was young and without magic, when she was still just the daughter of a retired army captain turned farmer. He had told that there is always a moment before the battle commences, where time seems to stop, and the world holds its breath. You can't predict it, but when it happened, everyone felt it, everyone fell still, silent, and waited.

The air froze, she caught her breath, and felt the sky charge with magic and aggression. "Here it comes…"

There was a distant explosion, a chorus of screams. The Templars had activated one of their traps, blood was spilled, and everything snapped into place. Suddenly the silver sea rushed forward, traps activating, shrapnel flying, magic crackling, and then the metal clashed.

It was controlled chaos. The narrow and twisting streets of Dairsmuid allowed her forces to easily control the direction of the battle, collapsing alleys upon the Templars that thought they could snuck up on them, blockading streets with fallen buildings to ensure that the Templars only had one path to follow. They were outnumbered one to a hundred, but as long as the Templars remained bottle-necked they stood a chance.

"Healers!" Nimwe barked, "Outer ring, wall on the right!"

Hands glowed green as healing magic cut through the air and surrounded the archers and battlemages receiving the brunt of the Templar's fire, a dangerous combination of smiting and arrows whittling their barriers down with frightening efficiency.

"There's a cluster down by fifth street." Rivella yelled as she gestured some of the higher ranking enchanters over to her. "Healers, strengthen the barriers! Primal mages, to me! We need a storm!"

Rivella placed herself in a circle of mages as they raised their arms to the sky and began to pool their magic together. The sky darkened suddenly as the clouds were dragged together, thunder rolling as they crashed together, lightning flickering with the friction. They direction the storm downwards, electricity seeking out the copious amount of metal all gathered in one place. A few frost-oriented mages chilled the air and called down a blizzard, slowly moving their hands in patient circles and arcs as they asserted control over the direction of the wind and the size of the blizzard, avoiding most of their own forces.

The Templars fell in waves, but more always stepped in to take their place. Rivella felt the air grow stale as several Templars dispelled magic all at once, and the mages on the walls were forced to retreat as their magic disappeared.

Rivella cursed inwardly.

"Call a tactical retreat to the square!" She snapped to one of the militia men standing near her. He nodded and ran off, soon followed by a horn sounding across the streets. The archers fell back and slid into the shadows, soldiers collapsing the barricades to obstruct the streets as much as possible as the Rivaini slipped through the city to regroup in the main square.

Only bodies remained upon the battlements, distant shapes without faces or any other way to identify them, save for those dressed in armor versus those dressed in robes. It was always too many left there, even one loss was a blow to Rivella's heart. These were her people. She had already failed so many, how many more would die for them?

"Let's move." Rivella growled as she turned and proceeded to the lower levels of the tower, which faced the main square. The main square was large and open, and while it gave an advantage to the Templars, it also allowed the mages the freedom to use deadlier and more wide-reaching spells and traps.

The tower sat several stories above the ground, a pyramidal foundation with several flights of stairs, which would force the Templars to fight uphill if they managed to bypass the square. There were several balconies extending from the tower to overlook the square and the path between it and the tower. The archers and battle mages took their usual positions along the balconies and rooftops, snipers crawling like monkeys up to the highest points and tucking themselves into the urban landscape to wait for their prey to appear. Rows of spiked blockades were set up in uneven rows in the square, warriors waiting with baited breath behind them. There were two mages flanking each entrance to the square casting a magical barrier, while rogues hurried to set up traps in front of them.

"For the record," Rivella turned to her apprentice beside her, eyes pointedly fixed on the main entrance to the square. "I do not regret anything." Nimwe broke her gaze away from the incoming Templars to meet her mentor's gaze. "It was an honor, Madam."

Rivella pushed away the wave of emotions that threatened to overwhelm her and placed her hand on Nimwe's shoulder. "I am proud of you, my child."

A small smile flittered across Nimwe's lips before her expression hardened and she reached for her staff. "They're here."

The magical barriers exploded with the onslaught of several smites, the mages upholding them thrown back. The Templars rush in, only to trip several wires that unloaded volleys of shrapnel and poison darts, though most bounced off their armor, only for them to step into several glyphs of paralysis, some being put to sleep or becoming stunned them. Those were immediately taken out by snipers or mages, fireballs and arrows flew back and forth, ice coated Templar armor, electricity danced across the battlefield, and finally sword clashed with staff as they came face-to-face with their enemy.

Rivella knew they were going to lose. There were just too many Templars, and not enough Rivaini. They had put up a good fight, kept the Templars out of their city for weeks, endured the siege and still struck blow after blow against the holy army. But it was only a matter of time, and today, it would seem, they would fall.

The First Enchanter unhooked an empty sword hilt from her side, channeling her mana into it and producing a bright blade of light and magic, crackling with electricity as she swung it experimentally a few times.

"And the Knight-Enchanter enters the fray." Nimwe chuckled under her breath as she sent a volley of stone fists towards a group of Templars attempting to push towards the tower.

A grim look crosses Rivella's face as she strides forward, her other hand engulfed in flames as she raises it to summon a wall of fire that races away from her towards her enemy. The Templars see her and raise their blades to smite her, but she is already launching herself towards them, avoiding the brunt of the smite, but still feeling her magic strip away from her. But her blade does not falter, and the Templars make the mistake of underestimating her as she engages them in direct combat, handling her mage sword with the same ease as a veteran warrior.

"You will pay twice over for the blood you have spilled today!" Rivella yells as she parries and slashes, one hand gripping the blade, the other glowing as she simultaneously conjures an armor barrier that coats her entire body.

She loses herself in the flow of the battle, in constant motion, panting as she expends magic and physical energy in equal sum. At some point, she has been joined by several other Rivaini warriors, marked by the darkness of their skin, a stark contrast to the pale foreign Templars. Their blood is almost unnoticeable on their skin, save for the red sheen when the light caught it just right.

Despite wearing light armor, the Rivaini men were equal to the Templars in their metal shells, taller and broader than other humans, matching heavy warriors in strength and outpacing them in speed and movement, skin as black as night gleaming with muscle, white teeth flashing like light on a blade. Nearly every man and woman in Rivain had spent some time in the army, and it showed. Considered barbarians by many in Thedas, the Rivaini were fearsome in battle, and Rivella felt a surge of pride as they pushed the Templars back, nearly retaking the square completely.

 _Shhhhhppp!_

She gasped as the whisper of a blade slid into her chest, brushing her heart with a gentle caress as it pierced her lungs. Rivella coughed, blood spraying from her mouth and dribbling down her chin, dripping onto the flat of the blade, staining polished steel.

The templar's eyes were shadowed by his helmet, but she saw his lips curl into a satisfied grin, and in a moment of annoyance, Rivella gripped the sword in her chest and lunged forward, slicing her own up in an arc of light and lightning, severing his head from his body.

"First Enchanter!"

"No!"

"Madam Rivella!"

Mages and civilians alike panicked as their leader fell, someone quickly catching her body as she fell and retreating through the crowd of Rivaini, running her body back to the tower. Nimwe provided cover fire, casting over their shoulders and covering their backs as the soldier laid the body on the ground behind her. The apprentice let out a strangled sob as she spun and fell to Rivella's side, seeking out her hands, still warm, her eyes, still fluttering.

"Rivella!" She cried. "Rivella, no!"

The line broke at the sight of their commander falling, the Templars surged forward, and suddenly they were gaining ground far too quickly for the Rivaini to put up much of a fight.

The older mage was coughing up blood in copious amounts, the red staining the ground beneath her, spreading out in a pool of crimson. Rivella's hands were shaking as she pressed the hilt of her sword into Nimwe's hand, the blade gone without her magic to feed it.

Then she smiled up at her apprentice and the light left her eyes.

"No!" Nimwe screamed as she pulled her teacher's body into her arms and rocked it slowly.

The Templars took the square with ease, the Rivaini sucked under the wave of silver armor and hacked to pieces. They couldn't retreat fast enough, though the snipers and battlemages above tried to cover them, raining arrows and summoning walls of ice to rise up and block out the templars, only to be knocked down as the Templars threw smite after smite against it.

"We're losing ground!" One of the enchanters cried as he and several others came together to raise a giant wall of ice five times as tall as a man, and continued to funnel magic into it thickening the ice with new layers for every layer the Templars burned away.

"We always knew this would be a losing battle." Nimwe snapped, slowly closing Rivella's eyes. "It was only a matter of giving as good as we got."

Anyone with even a hint of ice magic in them added to the wall, hands held up, frosty white and blue magic swirling around the square as they poured all they had into the only thing standing between them and obliteration.

When everyone had bled themselves dry of mana, they stopped and held their breath.

 _Crash!_

 _Crash!_

 _Crash!_

Smite after smite slammed into the ice wall, cracks forming at the top and trickling down, chips and shards shimmering as they fell. The impact shook the ground beneath them.

"It has been an honor, my friends." One of the Rivaini soldiers said to them, and everyone that heard him nodded grimly.

The ice cracked. Right down the middle. They felt the heat of the smite that slammed into it next, widening the gap. They could see the gleam of armor between the two halves now, a shifting sea of metal shimmering silver and crimson.

"Ready yourselves!" Nimwe warned as she and the other mages lifted their staffs and fell into defensive stances.

 _Crash!_

 _Crash!_

 _Crash!_

The ice was cracking, shattering, falling.

The Templars surged forward with a chorus of war cries.

And then, to Nimwe's astonishment, a surge of magic filled the air like so thick she felt like it would fill her lungs and choke her, making her ears pop and her skin prickle, filling the air with an oppressive aura that spoke volumes of whoever's magic it was.

She felt it when an invisible force slammed down over the army of Templars and yank them backwards into the square, metal screeching as armor rubbed against armor and dragged across the stone tiles, the Templars yelling in alarm. As the Templars reaching the epicenter of the mysterious force it spat them back out, blasting outwards and sending the templars in all different directions, only to lend in a pile of rubble or slam against a building.

"Who is that?!" An apprentice exclaimed at the sight of a single woman standing in the middle of the square, untouched by the battle surrounding her.

A halo of white surrounded her head, and as the wind settled Nimwe realized that it was her hair.

"Sorry I'm late!" The woman yelled, cupping her mouth in their direction.

Nimwe blinked and turned to the other enchanters. "Uh… guys?"

They all shrugged or shook their heads.

Her attention was back on the mysterious mage as she raised her staff and slammed it down on the ground, the sound amplified and echoing in the square like a war drum. Her hair floated around her shoulders as the air became charged again, magic coalescing around her with restrained fury, the air practically humming with the force she was containing. There was another figure too, hovering above her head, so faint it might have been an illusion, something transparent, flashing faintly like a shadow flirting with the light. Nimwe rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was seeing things.

"Templars! Dispel that –"

She released her magic again, and this time Nimwe felt her mouth fall open at the sheer force of it, carefully controlled, and something in the air rippled.

"The… Fade?" Nimwe gasped in shock as reality blurred for a moment as she glimpsed the world beyond, felt her connection click into place stronger than ever before, the Fade pouring into her mana pool without her reaching for it.

A second later it was gone, but every mage in the vicinity felt as if they had swallowed three lyrium bottles and were more rejuvenated than they had felt in days.

The Templars rushed in again, and the woman faced down the army without flinching.

"Mages of Dairsmuid!" Nimwe barked, channeling all that Rivella had taught her. "Attack!"

* * *

Her veins were pulsing with cold fire, burning and icy all at once as the Fade flowed through her. Karliah had merged with Dawn, the spirit channeling the Fade directly into her and enhancing her powers to ten times her usual strength.

 **To battle!** The spirit cried as it slipped into her body, two souls layered together in perfect cohesion.

Her body flickered in and out of existence, Templar arrows flying through her transparent body or being stopped by the swirling storm of magic that surrounded her as she engaged the army. When she wasn't casting spells, she engaged them with her staff, one end tipped with a sharp blade as long as her forearm and forged of folded steel. The other end was tipped with a heavy weight, a hexagonal ball of steel that could just as easily crack open a man's head as the blade could cut it.

Dawn's awareness of magic allowed her to feel every tendril of her magic as the spirit reached out and burrowed into the armor of the Templars, weakening them and causing the armor to become brittle as it latched onto the lyrium imbued in the metal and leeched away its power, drawing on every shard of lyrium and feeding the spirit inside her.

 **Yum.** Dawn hummed.

Slamming her staff back down on the ground, Karliah sent out a shockwave of energy that stunned the men around her just long enough for her to point the blade upwards and slowly draw a circle in the air, glowing lines appearing in its wake as a glyph appeared in the air and continued to hover above her head as she sliced the staff down and sent an arc of ice outwards to freeze the Templars in front of her.

Stone fists slammed into their figures shattering them, while the ground behind her lit up with electricity. The other mages had rejoined the fight.

 **Hurry up.** Dawn demanded. **I can't stay joined with you much longer.**

Karliah nodded and spun her staff in her hands as she sent a volley of energy blasts towards a few Templars trying to sneak up on her, knocking them back long enough for another mage to finish the job, another pierced in the eye by a Rivaini sniper on one of the rooftops.

She knew that she only had a few minutes left. As powerful as she was with Dawn aiding her, the two of them could only keep up the spirit possession for about ten minutes before Dawn tired and most of the spirit's self returned to the Fade, leaving only the conscious part that was embedded in her mind. This usually left Karliah severely depleted of magic and energy, causing her to fall unconscious and sleep for a day or more. It was not a power that she used often on the battlefield, especially not without her comrades around to retrieve her body once she had fainted.

 **Two minutes.** Dawn warned as Karliah stabbed a templar in the face while ducking a sword aimed for her neck.

In one move she yanked the blade of her staff out of the body and spun away from the other templar, dragging the tip of her staff on the ground so that the metal screeched and then she swiped upwards. The templar found himself impaled from several directions as spikes of rock that shot forth from the earth.

Not a moment to breath and another templar was rushing her with a large shield raised. She Fade-stepped out of the way, taking a deep breath at the immediate drain on her mana pool as she appeared directly behind the templar and directed a current of electricity into his armor. His scream ripped through the air as he fried in his metal shell.

 **One minute!** Dawn hissed.

Karliah grunted in acknowledgement as she rolled out of the way of a smite, feeling the edges of her magic fraying at the proximity, coming to her feet to face three more Templars. She tapped the blunt end of her staff on the tiles, causing the ground beneath their feet to roll and send them off balance. More arrows rained down on the Templars, Karliah adding her own energy bolts to the fray.

She spun around, dropping back into a defensive stance, staff raised, blade up, eyes glowing silver. When nothing else moved, she finally relaxed.

 **It is done.** Dawn told her, slowly withdrawing its power from her veins. It felt like ice melting in her veins, the adrenaline draining away from her.

Karliah gave a deep sigh as she fell to one knee and leaned heavily on her staff.

"Are- are you okay?" A voice over her shoulder asked.

Karliah looked up, struggling against the heavy feeling of her eyelids. "I have used up too much mana. I will faint soon."

The poor mage in apprentice robes looked panicked as he turned around to yell at someone, but Karliah did not hear his words, all sound fading as the darkness closed in.

* * *

She awoke to the smell of burning oil and healing salve. The dim lighting of the room disoriented her as she struggled to remember where she was.

 **Dairsmuid.** Dawn answered for her. **You've been asleep for over a day. It is currently noon, making it almost thirty-six hours since you collapsed.**

Karliah nodded, then winced as the bruises made themselves known. Someone must have heard her whimper, as she felt something move in her periphery, accompanied by the rustle of fabric and the scent of elfroot and deep mushroom.

"Oh! You're alive!" Tittered a man's voice as a face came into view, elderly, tanned and wrinkled skin, grey beard and twinkly eyes.

Karliah opened her mouth to reply but only croaked then coughed at how dry her throat was. The man helped her sit up and tipped water gently into her mouth.

"There, that's better, yeah?" He hummed cheerfully. "Gave us quite a scare! Thought for sure you'd died!"

"I don't die easily." Karliah said in a dry voice.

"I don't doubt it!" The man exclaimed, clearly impressed with her earlier display. "Name's Nikola by the way. I'm the head of the healer's department in Dairsmuid… what's left of it, anyway. I tended to you injuries after the battle."

She saw his eyes flicker to her forehead, and Karliah felt her heart leap into her throat as her hands flew up to her naked forehead, gasping when she touched the melted and scarred skin.

 **Quick!** Dawn urged her, alarmed that they had been found out. **Kill him!**

' _Not yet.'_ Karliah replied as she carefully brought her hands into her lap and met Nikola's questioning gaze.

"That is a Tranquil brand there." He stated slowly.

"Yes." She replied without inflection.

"But you are not Tranquil."

"No."

He paused, eyes flickering from her guarded expression to the angry sun branded on her forehead. "So, the rumors of a cure are true." Nikola breathed in awe.

"No." She lied, "The rite was not performed correctly."

Nikola paused. "Oh…" He seemed disappointed. Still, she got the feeling that he did not believe her completely. There was a moment of awkward silence before he sighed and got to his feet. "I'll go get the First."

"Wait."

He turned to face her. Karliah gestured helplessly to her forehead. "I… I don't like people seeing it. Do you have any more bandages?"

He gave her a pitying look as he nodded and plucked a roll of bandages from his work desk and tossed them over to her. She covered the brand with practiced ease, heart racing at the shock of someone seeing her scar, hands moving unconsciously through the motions as she stared into the shadows of the room unseeing.

 **You should have killed him.** Dawn chided her, the spirit pacing in her head.

' _There has been enough death already.'_ She sighed, tired.

 **This war is not over.** The spirit pointed out. **You'll kill more yet.**

' _Thanks for the reminder.'_ Karliah thought mulishly.

The sound of footsteps grabbed her attention as she turned her gaze to the door, the hinges whining as the door creaked open to permit Nikola and a dark Rivaini woman.

"Hello." The woman greeted her as she stepped into the room. "I am Nimwe, apprentice – I mean, First Enchanter of the Circle of Dairsmuid." Her eyes flashed with the pain of a recent loss. "You saved us all. The mages and civilians of Dairsmuid owe you a life debt many times over."

Karliah chuckled nervously. "It's nothing, really."

"That kind of power is not _nothing_." Nimwe insisted, eyes flickering to her covered forehead. Had she seen the brand too? It would not surprise her, the First Enchanter no doubt accompanied the healer during his vigil.

Changing the subject, Karliah cleared her throat. "Fiona sent me personally. I'm sorry I did not arrive sooner."

Nimwe closed her eyes slowly as grief played across her features. "We survived. That is all that matters."

"You'd be the only ones, then." Karliah muttered. "Two other Circles have already been Annulled without warning. We couldn't bear to lose another."

The sheer amount of bodies piled throughout the city had been staggering, even for Karliah, who had been living in the war zone for almost two years now. Dairsmuid had more dead than living, the city was one big grave. She had been surprised at the amount of civilians among them, and Karliah mentioned as much.

"The culture in Rivain has always treasured the gift." Nimwe told her. "It is probably the only country outside of Tevinter that welcome mages. Traditionally, mages were an integral part of our culture, seers being spiritual leaders to connect the people to the spirits of the land."

Karliah chuckled dryly. "No wonder the Chantry hates you guys."

Nimwe's eyes flashed. "This was the last straw. Rivain will not be silent on this matter, I assure you."

"This might actually be the catalyst for Rivain to break away from Chantry control." Nikola mused with a thoughtful look.

Nimwe nodded in agreement. "But these are topics for another day." She waved her hand dismissively. "You no doubt need to report back to Fiona as soon as possible. We still have a few messengers, if you wish to send a letter."

"I can report to her myself." Karliah said as she stood up, feeling stronger now that she had rested in the Fade and Dawn had channeled mana into her while she slept.

The medic twitched, probably resisting the urge to push her back into the cot. "But you are still recovering!"

"I am fine." Karliah assured him, summoning a ball of light into her hand. "See? I just expended too much mana during the battle."

He looked like he was going to protest, but Nimwe held out her arm to stop him. "We will not stop you from leaving. I am sure Fiona needs you back as soon as possible."

Karliah nodded at her.

"We'll help you pack for your trip back, then." Nimwe bade her to follow her out the door. "We are short on supplies, I'm afraid, but we can scrape together a few things for your journey."

 **I still think you should kill them.** Dawn piped up.

She sent a mental smack at her resident spirit. _'Shut up.'_

* * *

 **So I definitely got carried away with the battle scene, but hey, it was awesome right? This was inspired by the Codex entry: The Annulment at Dairsmuid in Inquisition.**

 **I'm really trying to cover the struggles of the mages in this story. It is definitely biased against Templars, don't get me wrong, but that is how Karliah sees the world at the moment. Templars = bad, Mage = good.**

 **Anyway, leave a review!**


	3. Chapter 3 - The Rebellion Breaks

**STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIES**

 **We're back in the Hinterlands! This is where things definitely stray from canon, but I will keep to the main storyline.**

* * *

The aftermath of the attempted annulment of the Circle of Dairsmuid only served to further distant the mages from the Chantry. Word of the siege spread quickly through the mages and the gentry, astonished at the Chantry's harsh reaction, and further surprised at the Circle's ability to repel the Templar army that came down on them. Rivain had closed its border to any more incoming Chantry representatives, priest or templar, and those still within its borders were watched closely.

It was seen as a victory for the mages against their Chantry oppressors, and further evidence that the Chantry was willing to cull them all. Even the most devout Chantry supporters among the mages faltered in their beliefs at the stories coming out of Dairsmuid. Two other Circles had been annulled in the past year, but they had been swift and silent, most of the towers falling before word for help could reach their peers. The few survivors that remained were mostly those mages that had been abroad at the time, and the story of what really happened in those Circles would never be known.

Despite all this, Fiona was still determined to attend the Conclave in two months' time.

Karliah and her team continued to fight for the Rebellion in the meantime, the potential ceasefire having no effect on the war itself as battle were waged across Ferelden and Orlais, neither side backing down.

Most days they were only involved in skirmishes, other days they joined a party of twenty or more mages as they stormed Templar camps or disrupted lyrium caravans headed to Templar strongholds. They happened to be on the Orlesian side of the Frostbacks when word that the Circle of Halamshiral had risen up, and they had arrived just in time to assist the mages in escaping the city and holding back the Templars that chased them. Many of the mages headed to the Rebellion branch stationed in the Emprise du Lion, while others accompanied them back to Ferelden.

Idly, Karliah wondered if this war would ever end. The longer they fought, the less effective the Conclave seemed. What did the Divine hope to accomplish when the Templars and Mages trusted no one but their own anymore? The Chantry was not in control anymore.

It might never be so again.

* * *

Karliah felt it in her bones the moment the Breach occurred. She felt her body tremble, a shiver of fear and apprehension, her magic tingled like needles pricking every inch of her skin. Then the spirit inside her screeched as she felt the Fade ripple around them, the veil shuddering and threatening to collapse. Her connection to the Fade sent her reeling back with a sense of vertigo as the world tilted, flickered, and she could not tell where reality stopped and the Fade began.

"Karliah? Karliah!"

She felt hands on her body, lifting her up, propping her against the wall of the cavern. Her eyes fluttered open, flowing faintly as Dawn took over her body, submerging her spirit and attempting to protect her from the force of the blast.

 **Danger.** Dawn whispered fearfully in her mind, and suddenly Karliah found herself in the Fade, standing on a floating isle surrounded by the chaos of dreaming. Dawn was already there, a small blue, semi-transparent dragon which immediately approached her and engulfed her in an embrace of leathery wings. **There.**

Karliah followed the direction that the spirit was looking towards, eyes widening at the sight of a gigantic, _humongous_ rip in the veil. A blackhole had opened up in the Fade, devouring everything in its proximity, an impossible force sucking in every spirit that wandered too close to it. Karliah and Dawn were far enough away to be safe, but even from her position she could feel the forceful gales whipping through the normally stagnant Fade. She glimpsed the physical realm through the gaping maw of the tear, a warped version of reality, broken walls, glowing red rocks, and flames licking the edges. A green smoke drifted at the edges of the tear, spreading slowly through the Fade, like poison in the bloodstream.

 **Leave now.** Dawn nudged her scaly head against Karliah's hip. **Not safe.**

' _You can't stay here either.'_ Karliah told the spirit. Most of the time Dawn split her spirit self between the Fade and Karliah's body, leaving a small part of itself in her head while most of its sentience remained in the Fade. It was a paltry attempt to give the woman more independence from the spirit that kept her alive, since Dawn was always worried about becoming a demon. _Come to me._

The image of a dragon wavered, melting away to reveal a shapeless wisp, which floated towards her chest and melted into her spirit.

Karliah cut her connection with the Fade.

"Something's wrong!"

"I've never seen her like this before."

"Do you think it's because of the spirit?"

Voices. So many voices. Familiar. Worried.

Her eyes fluttered, then snapped open. Four pairs of eyes were leaning over her, staring with varying degrees of caution and worry. She was sitting, leaning against Micah on one side, enveloped in the darkness of the cavern. It took her a moment to adjust from the brightness of the Fade to the dim torchlight of the cavern where the Rebellion had set up their base. There were other mages in the cavern, but none of them dared approach the battlemages, only staring and whispering at Karliah's sudden collapse.

"Karliah, look at me." Shanelle was crouched in front of her, holding up a talisman to ward of demons in case she was possessed. "Are you… yourself?"

"Yes." Karliah nodded, but did not try to stand. The world was still spinning slightly, forcing her to lean heavily into Micah's hold.

"What happened?" Hadir demanded, eyes sharp as he searched for a sign of possession. "You just… passed out. For no reason."

"Did you feel it?" Karliah asked him, her voice suddenly urgent. "The Fade, I mean. It's been torn asunder!"

The others hesitated, reaching out to the Fade with their magic. Realization dawned on them, some looking fearful, others curious.

"What happened?" Hadir's eyes snapped to her.

"It was not far from here. Something has ripped the veil between our worlds." Karliah worried her lip. "Because of my possession, it hit me hard. Dawn tried to protect me from the worst of it, but it was hurting her too. This… this rip, this tear… it's swallowing up the spirits. Sucks them in and corrupts them with magic darker than anything I've ever felt."

"What about your spirit?" Micah asked her worriedly.

"I've taken Dawn into me completely, for the time being. It is too dangerous for it to be in the Fade." Karliah told them, and she could feel Dawn settle comfortably in the back of her mind, exhausted. "If Dawn is corrupted or sucked into the tear, it will become a demon and I will regress to being Tranquil once more. This is the safest way for us both."

Shanelle and Orphin exchanged horrified looks.

"We need to head to the northern camp immediately." Orphin stated, turning to grab his staff and pack. "We have no idea how this will affect the weaker mages, especially the children."

Shanelle did the same. "We will need Rosier to strengthen our wards for the veil and those against demons."

Hadir and Micah helped Karliah to her feet, Hadir casting several healing spells onto her to help her steady herself.

"Shanelle, Orphin, go ahead of us." Hadir told them. "Karliah needs to rest a while longer."

"I can –" Karliah was interrupted by a wave of Hadir's hand.

"Eat. Drink." He pushed her towards a table and sat her down in a chair, Micah approaching them with cheese and bread in his hands, and a bucket of water hanging from the crook of his elbow.

Shanelle and Orphin were already walking down towards the exit of the cavern, while Hadir and Micah sat down beside her. A pointed look from them both pressed her into taking a bite of the bread roll.

"Do you know where this tear is? In the physical world, I mean?" Hadir ventured to ask.

Karliah looked off into the distance, her eyes glowing silver for a moment as she peeked into the Fade. "I… I think it's in the Frostbacks."

Micah cursed under his breath. "How much do you wanna bet it was at the Conclave?"

"Shite." Karliah muttered as she bit into the cheese. "I knew they wouldn't be able to keep those idiots under control."

"Still," Hadir stroked his thick curly beard. "I wonder what could possibly have enough power to create a permanent tear in the veil? That doesn't sound like any mage or templar ability I know."

"Maybe a clash of both?" Micah shrugged. "Or something else entirely. Maybe someone wanted to sabotage the Conclave."

"Whatever it was, it has definitely caused a lot of damage in both worlds." Karliah said as she finished off her food and washed it down with the semi-clean water that bubbled up from the ground in the back of the cave. "No doubt the Conclave is destroyed."

"Good thing you talked Fiona out of going." Micah pointed out.

"But now there is no end in sight for this damn war." Hadir sighed.

Karliah brushed off the crumbs on her robes and stood up. "We should move the northern camp. Get them out of the valley, further into the mountains. No doubt the war will only escalate from here on out."

The three battlemages packed up and warned the other mages in the Rebellion base to strengthen their defenses and prepare to dig in. Then they were off, following a seemingly invisible trial into the heart of the valley and back up into the northern ridge. Thankfully they did not encounter any Templars on the way, as Karliah thought she might have lost all control with the added stress on both herself and on Dawn.

* * *

They arrived to see Shanelle and Rosier with their heads bowed together, speaking in hushed tones about demons and Fade wards. Orphin was inspecting every child one by one, and warning them to remember their discipline and to speak up should they start hearing whispers from the Fade.

"Karliah!"

Several children immediately converged on her as she stepped through the warded entryway into the cavern, throwing themselves onto her legs. Several of the older apprentices were making their way towards her as well, walking at a brisk pace but not deigning to run.

 **Little magi.** Dawn hummed in contentment, projecting the mental image of a dragon twitching its tail happily as it curled in its nest. **They are safe with us.**

Roberto was seventeen, the self-proclaimed protector of the youngest mages, and itching to join the war. Lisa was sixteen and already a perfectionist in electric magic, also ready to join the fight. Neera was fifteen and wanted to be a spirit healer. The twins Amara and Avaro were thirteen and the only survivors of the tower of Starkhaven, which had initiated the Rite of Annulment when the Circle fell. Malcom was twelve from the Ferelden Circle, and had festered in his hatred growing up in the strict post-Blight tower. Laurent was ten and from Orlais, the disowned for his magic from a minor noble family. Tara was eight and had already watched the Templars cut down her older sister when their Circle fell. Their youngest was Amelia, six years old but had already seen far too much at her age.

"Hello kids." Karliah nodded to them as she patted their heads. Amelia was barely tall enough to hit her knees, while Malcom was at her shoulder now. Of the apprentices, only the twins had yet to surpass her in height. Lisa and Neera were taller than her by an inch, Neera being rather tall for an elf. Roberto was a giant, looking more like a soldier than a mage with his broad shoulders and towering height.

"Lady Karliah!" The teenagers greeted as they approached her with big smiles.

The northern cavern was a noncombatant camp, and over the year it had morphed into an impromptu school of sorts. Far too many of the mages stranded by the Circles were children and teenagers that had not even finished their apprenticeships. The older mages that refused to fight were once teachers in the towers, or maleficar that had no interest in fighting more Templars than usual.

With the sheer number of untrained mages roaming about, many had taken it upon themselves to teach the unlearned to control themselves. Karliah had instituted morning meditations to teach the children discipline and strength of mind. When they weren't on the field, she teamed up with Micah to teach the mages how to live off the land, such as hunting, fishing, and gathering herbs for food and medicine. Shanelle was trained as a Rivaini shaman, and taught them about alchemy and demons. Hadir's experience as a former First Enchanter made him the perfect director of their little school, which now boasted thirty 'students' and twenty noncombative mages. He specialized in teaching magical theory, as best he could outside a classroom setting. Rosier was in charge when Karliah and Hadir were both out fighting, a specialist in illusion and wards. His wards kept away those with ill-intent and his illusions hid the entrance to their cave.

Karliah finished greeting the students before turning to approach Rosier and Shanelle.

"We are moving." She told them. "We need to get out of the valley. It's about to become a shitshow."

"What happened?" Rosier asked her with a serious but controlled expression. The apprentices were not-so-subtly listening in.

"Something happened at the Conclave, and likely destroyed everything in sight." Karliah told them, causing several of the mages to gasp. "It has ripped the Fade to shreds and is forcefully drawing spirits through the veil. This turns them into demons, and puts us at increased risk of possession."

Shanelle, Rosier, and several other enchanters glanced worriedly over to the group of students that were eagerly listening to Micah tell one of his war stories.

"If everyone at the Conclave is dead, that means the Divine is as well." Karliah's expression became grim.

The mood in the room darkened.

"There goes our last chance at peace." An enchantress spat.

"The Templars will blame us, naturally." One of the apostates spoke.

Karliah raised her hands to calm the anxious mutterings of the mages before her. "Which is why we need to get out before news of the Conclave spreads. Liam, do you know any other cavern systems outside of the valley?"

One of the older apprentices nodded.

"Good. You will need to lead them. I must return to Redcliffe and speak to Fiona as soon as possible." Karliah ignored the protests from the other mages. "I doubt that news of the Conclave has reached her yet, and we must prepare for the backlash of the Templars and the Chantry."

"Shall the Four Horsemen accompany you?" Shanelle asked her with a wry smirk.

"Shanelle, you and Micah will come with me." Karliah ordered them. "Hadir and Orphin ought to stay and help protect the group. We are moving a lot more people than last time, and no doubt someone will notice, be it bandits or Templars."

"And, of course, we'll probably pick up ten more mages along the way." One of the teachers joked, earning sighs and smirks from the rest of the apostates.

"Probably." Karliah chuckled.

"Remember to watch your tracks. Travel in small groups." Karliah reminded them.

"Yeah, yeah, we know the drill by now." Rosier patted her shoulder with a strained smile.

Micah and Shanelle were at her back, ready to leave as soon as Karliah had finished saying goodbye to her flock. Karliah glanced over the two maleficar, one a force mage, the other a blood mage, and both were her fiercest fighters.

Micah had been her first confidant when she had begun seeking out the mage refugees, a young human with curly auburn hair and mischievous brown eyes. He was headstrong and stubborn, tall and lean, powerful, experienced, and loved the thrill of battle. Sometimes she thought that he only stuck around because he had been impressed by her skill in battle when they had first encountered each other, and wanted to continue fighting at her side. His skill with force magic made him a rarity outside the Kirkwall tower, and Templars were always caught off-guard when they felt gravity turn on them.

Shanelle's past as a Rivaini shaman meant that she was experienced in spirit communication and manipulation, and had a small taste for blood magic. As her hunger for power had grown, the Templars had come down on her, and she ran away from her home country and somehow ended up in Ferelden when the Mage-Templar war began. She was average height and curvy, with dark black hair braided in rows along her head, falling to her shoulders, and glinting with golden beads. She had skin darker than anyone else Karliah had ever seen, and her eyes were just as dark, glinting with barely-contained bloodlust that made her a terror on the battlefield.

"We ought to leave soon." Micah hummed as he played with the blade on the end of his staff. "We don't want to be caught in the valley during the night."

Karliah sighed as she glanced over the cavern full of lost mages one more time. To be honest, she did not know what she was doing anymore. All she knew was that the world sucked, people sucked, and that these mages did not deserve the persecution of an entire continent.

 **We fight to protect.** Dawn hummed in her head. **They will not hurt us again.**

"Let's go." Karliah spun on her heel and exited the cave.

* * *

They reached Redcliffe just as the sun dipped beneath the horizon, leaving the sky in faded hues of violet, pink, and yellow. The shadows lengthened, the stars winked in the sky and the moon was just starting to gain permanence in the darkening night. Karliah and her companions made their way through the city and purchased rooms in the tavern, ignoring the wary looks people sent them with their mage robes and staffs. They set their packs down in the rooms and then headed back out into the city, knowing that their news was too urgent to be left until morning.

Karliah was so busy searching the city that she almost did not notice the large ships docked on the wharf. It was odd, given that Redcliffe civilians mostly owned small fishing boats, but these were large enough to transport a large force.

' _Military in Redcliffe? But whose?'_ She wondered as she asked the nearest dock worker about the ships.

"Strangest thing in me life!" The man exclaimed with a shake of his head. "A man in fancy robes comes swoopin' 'cross the lake with a good hundred men, and just casually walks up to the castle like it ain't nothin'! And now I hear them mages are holed up there as well. Suspicious, I tell ya."

Karliah frowned at the information as she thanked the man and began to approached the castle. Her confusion turns to apprehension as she approaches the gates only to see strange soldiers standing guard, none of them wearing Redcliffe's heraldry.

Micah muttered a curse under his breath, and she felt Shanelle gather mana around her in case of a fight.

"Excuse me." She asks the gate guard with a low, cautious tone. "Is Grand Enchanter Fiona here, by any chance?"

The guards look at each other, and then study her robes and staff.

"You a mage?" One of them grunts, and she stills at the sound of a Tevinter accent.

 _Not good._ Karliah thinks as she nods slowly, Dawn hissing in the back of her mind that danger was nearby. Micah and Shanelle tensed at his accent.

"We'll send someone to get her." The other guard says as he turns and waves to someone through the grate of the doorway. "Don't move."

' _Wasn't planning on it.'_ She thought sourly.

 _The spirit extends its awareness outside of the body, briefly touching the minds of everyone within ten paces. Their minds are dark, secretive, filled with half-truths and lies._

 **Do not trust them.** Dawn whispered in her head. **They smell of trickery.**

A few minutes later she heard the latches grind and the large double-oak doors of the castle creak open just wide enough to reveal Fiona, a cautious expression on her face. When the elf saw Karliah, relief flooded her.

"These more of your mages?" The guards asked Fiona gruffly.

When she nodded, they were unceremoniously ushered through the castle walls, and led to a large courtyard filled with most of the mages from the rebellion. They were all in varying states of distress, wariness, or calm. The remaining lieutenants approached them when they saw that Karliah had returned, Fiona urging the leading mages into a corner of the room, far from where Tevinter guards remained standing by the gates.

"You're back! Thank the Maker!" Fiona cried, sweeping her into a hug. Karliah stiffened, then wrinkled her nose as she pushed the elven woman away. She hated physical touch.

"What happened?" Karliah demanded, eyeing the Tevinters reproachfully.

"Yesterday morning a ship of Tevinters arrived in Redcliffe. I do not know why they are here or how they managed to take the castle without leaving a trail of bodies." Fiona grimaced. "They claimed to be here in order to help the mage rebellion."

"Bullshit." Karliah snapped.

"I guessed as much." Fiona muttered. "You were not at the main camp when the Tevinters arrived to speak with me. Where were you?"

"I felt the Fade tear." Karliah explained in a dark tone. "I think the Conclave was attacked, and whatever it was, it is thinning the veil."

The other high enchanters sucked in a sharp breath. "Maker, no… Linna, Marcus…"

Fiona's face fell. "My lieutenants…"

"I've moved the noncombatant camp out of the valley." Karliah told them. "We must prepare for the backlash this will cause with the Chantry and the Templars. I fear this war will get worse, if possible."

Fiona looked like she had aged ten years in that second. "What if we retreated?"

"Excuse me?" Karliah lifted a brow.

"The Tevinters are being led by a magister. He offered a way out of the war, and I think he wants to take us back to Tevinter." Fiona looked conflicted. "I was going to speak with him tomorrow."

"Because dealing with Tevinter magisters always turns out swell." Karliah muttered, staring at Fiona incredulously. "You can't seriously be thinking about making any sort of deal with this man?"

"I might be." Fiona admitted guiltily. "It's just… We can't keep fighting this war. Most mages were never trained for combat. Too many of them are young and inexperienced."

"And you think selling them out to Tevinter is any better?!" Karliah snarled, raising her voice and earning the attention of the other mages.

"What else can we do?" One of the mages lamented, a man named Lennard from one of the Orlesian Circles. "We can't live the rest of our lives holed up in caves and fighting Templars every day! We are constantly scrambling for food and water and basic necessities! At least in Tevinter mages are seen as people!"

 **Trickery. Persuasion.** Dawn's sibilant voice hummed in her head, as Karliah felt her eyes flicker silver as the Fade overlapped with reality as she saw a spark of foreign magic rooted in Fiona's mind, and the minds of the other lieutenants.

' _Oh dear.'_ She thought.

"Fiona, please, think about this!" Karliah hissed, glancing up at the guards as they shifted in boredom.

"The rest of Thedas has abandoned us." One of the other mages said, Delila from Antiva. "So we will abandon Thedas. Tevinter is the only place in the continent that welcomes mages. We will be safer there."

"No, you won't! You'll be slaves!" Karliah snapped. Agitation rippled through the ranks of the mages as they listened in on the conversation, the whole courtyard falling silent save for the conversation between the Grand and First Enchanters. "Tevinter might be ruled by mages, but they are still based on a class system! Outsiders like us are just barely above slaves without a proper magical lineage! Do you really think a life like that will be better than the Circles?"

"Anything is better than the Circles!" Lennard protested, making Karliah shake her head.

"In case you've forgotten, Tevinters don't help people out of the goodness of their hearts! He's using you all!" Karliah exclaimed. "They will find a way to control you, they always do! How much blood are you willing to spill for this? How much of your self-respect will you sacrifice? This is not the path to independence! This is just another gilded cage!"

With that Karliah stormed away from the high enchanters and weaved her way through the shocked crowd of mages, Micah and Shanelle close behind her, guarding her back. Karliah stopped at the edge of the courtyard, looking directly at the gate guards and daring them to deny her exit.

"If anyone here has an ounce of self-preservation, I suggest you come with me!" Karliah raised her voice as she turned to face the congregation of mages. "If any of you have even the slightest misgivings about these Tevinters, leave! History has taught us how trustworthy they are!"

She heard the guard behind her gurgle in alarm, and felt a dark aura emanate from Shanelle. She had activated her blood magic and had taken control of the Tevinters' bodies, forcing them to open the gates.

"This is your last chance to redeem the mages! Your last chance to escape slavery!" Karliah turned and strode through the gates, ignoring the tortured faces of the guards in Shanelle's thrall and hoping that their blood boiled under the spell as much as hers burned with anger.

The mages in the courtyard erupted into fervent whispers, rising to excited mutterings as a few mages turned to leave, soon followed by more. The Tevinter soldiers on the wall exclaimed angrily at the sight of the gates wide open and their mages leaving, screaming for someone to close the gates. Fiona watched in both horror and amazement as a good half of her mage forces followed Karliah out of the castle.

Doubt crawled into her mind, but it was quickly squashed by another voice.

' _No. This is right.'_ Fiona thought, but the words felt hollow.

When the last of the mages who wanted to leave had exited the gates, Shanelle snapped her fingers and the guards she was controlling erupted in a spray of blood. By then the Tevinter soldiers had stormed into the gate room and were cranky the gears to shut the doors on them, but it was too late.

Karliah did not bother to stay in Redcliffe that night. She herded her newest following of mages to the edge of the city, Micah disappearing for a few minutes to retrieve their things from the tavern rooms. Shanelle had brought up the rear, ruthlessly cutting down any Tevinter than dared follow them.

They camped in the Crossroads that night, the villagers too fearful of the large crowd of magi to chase them out of town. As the light of dawn broke the night Karliah was up again, urging her followers to wake up and get moving, Shanelle and Micah scouring the countryside for Tevinters and Templars as they covered their tracks north.

' _I hope Rosier found rather large cave system.'_ Karliah thought sadly as she paused to look over her shoulder at the spires of Redcliffe in the distance, then directing her gaze at the long line of mages that were weaving their way through the hills. ' _We've got a lot more incoming.'_

* * *

 **Please leave a review guys! They fuel my soul!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Deja Vu

**STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIES**

 **We finally get to meet the Inquisition! I'm a hardcore Solasmancer but I'll try my best not to put unnecessary ELVEN GLORY in the story haha.**

* * *

"Have you heard about something called an 'Inquisition'?"

Karliah looked up to see Micah and a few mages returning from Redcliffe with supplies. It was amazing how easily people overlooked them when they weren't in mage robes and carrying giant sticks. Micah practically skipped back into the cavern while Karliah was teaching a group of children meditation techniques.

She glared at him from where she sat surrounded by a ring of the younger students, legs crossed, back straight, breathing slowly. Micah's obnoxious voice interrupted all focus, making the students giggle as Karliah scowled.

"Alright kids," She sighed, "Go to your next teacher."

The kids jumped to their feet and parted ways, a few walking over to Shanelle's alchemy station, a few leaving to practice elemental magic, while others went to a makeshift fighting ring to be coached on how to use their staffs in battle.

She sighed inwardly. Still children and they were being trained for battle. Worse, there was a high probability that they would be caught up in the Mage-Templar war sooner, rather than later.

She wondered if the outside world even bothered to remember that half the Circle population was under twenty. Still only children but the world wanted to brand them all.

Karliah turned to Micah with a raised brow. "Now, what were you saying?"

"It seems that in response to the disaster at the Conclave, a few of the Chantry members have resurrected the Inquisition banner."

Karliah blinked in surprise at that, having only skimmed over historical texts from that time period.

"And now some madman is going around claiming to be the 'Herald of Andraste', sent to deliver us from the giant hole in the sky which they're calling 'The Breach'. All very ominous sounding, eh?" Micah chuckled as he scratched at the rough fabric of the tunic he had worn into town. He winked at her as he pulled his knapsack forward and flash a bottle of ale hidden inside. Scamp.

"And how did you find out all this?" Karliah asked him as she began to walk towards the simple tents that the mages had _acquired_ from the surrounding area, entering her personal one for a little privacy.

Micah followed her through the flap and threw himself down on her bedroll, making her sigh in exasperation. "I snuck into town and started drinking with some of the new guys. Played some cards, asked some questions."

"You missed your calling as a bard." Karliah told him dryly as she sat across from him.

"I know, right?" Micah chuckled as he leaned back on his elbows, eyes sparkling with fascination. "But get this! The _herald_ is a fuckin' mage!" He let out a bark of incredulous laughter. "Can you believe it? The irony!"

Karliah felt her eyebrows pull together. "Really? Interesting. What does this Inquisition want? What is the purpose of this _herald?_ "

"To ban the faithful together in our darkest hour?" Micah made a heroic pose before he pulled out the ale and uncorked it with a twirl of magic. "Their mission statement is to restore order to Thedas where the Chantry failed. The clerics are calling it heresy, but the common gentry are supporting it. The Chantry lost control of us and the Templars, and now they've lost the trust of the people."

"As they should." Karliah snorted, snatching the bottle from his hand and taking the first swig. "They're all just posturing idiots in fancy robes, no better than any other politician."

Micah pouted as she handed the bottle back to him, taking his own sip. "Word is that he's a Free Marcher, like us. Some noble brat with sparkle-fingers."

"You'd be surprised at how many of those there are." Karliah quipped, as she reached for the bottle again.

"Anyway," Micah continued as the bottle continued to pass back and forth between them, "They've already established a foothold in the Hinterlands, and have taken control of the Crossroads."

"Does that mean we can't go there anymore?" Karliah asked with a frown.

"As long as we continue to pass as refugees we'll be fine." Micah shrugged. "From what I hear they have been trying to contact the rebel mages and Templars for help closing the Breach."

Karliah gave a long sigh. "The Breach? Where would we even start?"

"Dunno." Micah muttered as he took another gulp of ale. "Maybe we could just throw you into the Breach, being half spirit and all. See what happens."

"Ha. Ha." Karliah muttered as she swiped the bottle back and sipped. Only her four companions knew about her spirit friend, and jokingly began to refer to their ragtag group as Ramu Spiritu, a pun off of the branch of magic that specialized in spirits and the friendly parasite in her head.

That had not been an easy conversation to have. She had been three or four months into the fight, when her refugee group was still less than ten people. Micah and Orphin had already joined her when they had run into a particularly large group of Templars attacking two more mages. Micah and Orphin attacked while Karliah ushered her charges to safety, and went to help the mages that had been pinned down when they arrived. But Karliah had been caught off guard when a several Templars dispelled their magic at once, momentarily leaving Karliah severed from Dawn and rendering her Tranquil.

It took a moment for Dawn to claw its way back into her head, and in that time, she had been standing listlessly in the middle of the firefight, deaf to the warnings of her comrades. Shanelle had been one of the mages that they had rescued that day, and seemed to realize Karliah's Fade connection the moment she reverted to Tranquil. Shanelle had dragged the apathetic girl out of the line of fire and into the trees where she began restoring her connection to the Fade with some kind of shaman juju. By the time Shanelle had returned Dawn to Karliah, Micah and Orphin had approached her, demanding to know what had gone wrong.

At first, they were all astonished and skeptical about her predicament. They had heard rumors that there was a way to reverse the Rite of Tranquility, but spirit possession? It was hard to believe. Shanelle was the first to accept her predicament, being a seer that was familiar with spirit possession herself, although seers only allowed spirits in temporarily.

Only after Karliah had removed the bandages around her forehead to reveal the brand of Tranquility did the others begin to believe her story. Micah was fascinated, while Orphin was wary. They prodded her further with questions about Dawn, and what the spirit was like, how it felt to be Tranquil, and then restored.

Hadir had joined them later on, and after earning his place as a primary guardian of their refugees, they eventually told him as well. It was kept secret from the rest of the mages, but most of them seemed instinctually know that Karliah was different. Fade-touched, as many mages would call it.

Karliah let out a disappointed sigh as she lifted the bottle to her lips and found it empty. "Damn."

Micah chuckled. "Don't sweat it. I'll grab another the next time in town."

She pinned him with a scolding look. "You are too reckless, sometimes."

"Says the one who's possessed." He quipped, making her roll her eyes.

 **I am not a demon, stupid human.** Dawn sniffed in indignation.

Karliah was quiet for another moment before getting to her feet. "Let's go talk to the others about this Inquisition and decide what our next move is."

* * *

 **The Herald of Andraste…**

Cedric Trevelyan had always lived an easy life. He was the son of a well-to-do noble family, the second son with lots of wealth and no responsibility. When he discovered his magic at ten he was elated, freed from the pressures of joining the Chantry to appease his pious family. The Circle was a wondrous place for a curious child, though being stuck inside all day did put a damper on things. He had made new friends, people from all walks of life, no longer limited to the socially acceptable circle of high society.

He met Karliah soon after his arrival to the tower. She had just passed her harrowing and had begun an apprenticeship with a spirit mage and started on an ice specialization. She was a friendly girl, slight and willowy, quiet most of the time but had a sharp tongue when pushed. She had been one of his closest friends in the tower, helping him become acclimated to the new environment and scolding him when his noble attitude got the better of him. He was quite handsome, and he knew it, with tanned skin, aristocratic features, bright blue eyes and shoulder-length raven-black hair pulled into a messy ponytail. Karliah and their other friends were always dragging him away from spats with scorned lovers and angry teachers.

One day Karliah disappeared without a trace, the Templars spewing some excuse about how she had attacked a templar and ran away from the Circle. The mages in the tower knew better than to believe them. That particular templar had been eyeing poor Karliah for some time, and dread pooled in his stomach at the thought of what might have really happened the night before.

Years passed and the absence of Karliah became a dull ache in the back of his mind. Their friends were similarly affected, eyeing Templars with disgust, sticking closer together at all times, no one walked alone in the tower. Their mistrust of the Templars soon spread to others in the Circle as rumors about Karliah's disappearance grew to immense proportions. Some said she had been killed by the Templars, others thought she had been sold into slavery for mouthing off.

Cedric and his friends eventually reached the top of their class, Cedric somehow being chosen to be apprenticed to the First Enchanter despite skipping classes, flipping skirts, and taunting Templars. He didn't really know why First Enchanter Conrad chose him. Perhaps it was his raw power, perhaps it was his noble connections. Despite his initial hesitation to take on such a role, Cedric eventually found himself growing close with his mentor and flourishing under his tutelage.

When the mage rebellion broke into an all-out war, Cedric and others in their tower were not surprised. The incident in Kirkwall meant that the Circles in the Free Marches were the first to fall, and many in the Ostwick tower were all too eager to turn their backs on their templar jailers. Despite rejecting the templar's presence the mages of Ostwick did not scatter like other Circles, and eventually made their way to Ferelden to witness the decisions made at the Conclave.

And then the sky tore open.

* * *

"I have some interesting information about the mage rebellion." Leliana stated as the advisers congregated around the war table with Cassandra and the Herald.

"I thought that they were holed up in Redcliffe?" Josephine tilted her head.

"Half of them, yes." Leliana said, then leaned over and tapped the northern ridge of the Hinterland valley was on the map. "But from the latest information I've gathered, there are actually _two_ mage factions. The newest faction is hidden somewhere along the northern ridge, but they have been hard to pin down."

"Wonderful…" Cullen muttered.

Cedric raised his eyebrows at that. "Really now? Do we know why?"

"There was some sort of disagreement among the leaders of the rebellion." Leliana told them, ignoring a muttered ' _of course there was'_ from Cullen. "The northern faction is calling themselves 'Ramu Spiritu' but other than that, I have no more information on them. They are quite reclusive."

The commander raised his brows. "Ramu Spiritu?"

"It means 'spirit branch' in old Tevene." Cedric told him. "It's is the official language of arcane scholarship. All magical research is written in Tevene."

"Reclusive, you say?" Cassandra asked skeptically. "You mean to say that they are not the ones terrorizing the citizens of the Hinterlands?"

"Not that I'm aware of." Leliana nodded. "Though there are rumors that they are linked to the White Witch and the Four Horsemen."

"Huh?" Everyone in the room blinked in confusion.

She glanced at Cullen with a cautious look before continuing. "The White Witch and the Four Horsemen seem to be an elite team of battlemages deployed by the Rebellion that specialize in templar hunts. It is led by a female mage with white hair, and four apostates with unique skills. They seem to be feared by both mages and Templars alike."

Cullen and Cassandra had dark expressions on their faces.

"If they are being deployed by the Rebellion, I doubt that they would be part of the pacifistic group." Josephine pointed out.

"Let's approach Ramu Spiritu first." The Herald mused. "Maybe they can give us some insight into what the mages are up to in Redcliffe."

"Agreed." Cassandra nodded, surprising him.

"I still think that we ought to try to reason with the Templars." Cullen piped up.

"They do not want to speak to us." Josephine interjected with a frustrated look. "They will not even accept our messages at this point."

"Then we shall continue to pursue the mages." Cedric said, quite pleased and having no intention of allying with the Templars. Cullen was nice and all, but in Cedric's opinion, the rest of the Templars could rot. He wisely did no mention this in front of the commander and the Seeker.

"Back to the Hinterlands, then?" Cassandra glanced at the mage.

Cedric groaned at the thought of the journey through the Frostbacks and his poor butt sore from riding. "Maker have mercy…"

* * *

Demons.

It had to be demons.

Karliah scowled from her perch on the mountain side, laying low on an outcrop and hidden behind bushes as she spied on the strange green rift that had popped up a little too close to their base for comfort.

She knew that the veil had been badly frayed due to whatever happened at the Conclave, but tears appearing in the physical world with demons popping out of them were _bad_. Orphin, Hadir, and Shanelle had accompanied her while Micah had gone back into town to spy on the Inquisition forces there.

Orphin and Hadir were currently trying to get a read on the rift, whispering fervently under their breaths about magical theory and veil measurements. Nerds. Shanelle was doing her best to figure out how the demons were retaining their physical shape in this world without possessing a living creature.

 **It is Fade and yet not.** Dawn whispered in her head, staring at the rift through her eyes with confusion. **Broken. Twisted. Wrong.**

Karliah's eyes glazed over with silver as she peered at the rift with her Fade-vision. In the Fade, it looked like a sickly swirl of black and green, a dark hole hungry and angry, swirling lazily. She could feel Dawn balk at the sight, the spirit murmuring fearfully as it retreated as far into her mind as it could to escape the sickly magic that surrounded the tear.

"Dawn doesn't like that thing at all." She murmured to her companions. "The spirit fears the rift. It says that the magic has been corrupted."

"But how are the demons manifesting themselves physically?" Shanelle frowned, clearly frustrated that she could not figure out the answer. "Even if the rift pulls them through to this world, they shouldn't be able to manifest without possession. But I do not sense any corrupted flesh. They have not possessed anything here."

"I'm more concerned with how to _fix_ this." Orphin glanced at the rift apprehensively. "If we can't close it, more demons will keep coming through. Thankfully, it seems that they cannot stray too far from the rift without losing their physical forms."

A distant yell drew their attention. A group of fighters – two mages, a warrior, and a dwarf – were attacking the demons at the rift.

Hadir tutted. "What do they think to accomplish? More demons will keep coming through. They will be overwhelmed."

Despite his words, none of them made a move to help the strangers. Mages knew better than most how quickly people turned on you. They had no reason to risk revealing their magic to a couple of idiotic adventurers.

"That woman fights like a templar." Orphin frowned.

"Indeed, she does." Hadir agreed, the two women nodding as well.

Shanelle tilted her head. "Yet she fights with two mages on her side."

"Maybe they were captured and _persuaded_ to help." Orphin sneered.

"I don't see any other Templars around." Karliah pointed out. "Plus, there's that dwarf. No, these are merely adventurers."

"Soon-to-be-dead adventurers." Hadir snorted as another wave of demons exited the rift.

Suddenly, the tear in the veil began writhing, distorting, churning. Karliah's eyes widened as she activated her Fade-vision and saw that the rift was _healing._ Her eyes followed the line of magic that flowed out of the rift to the source of the healing power, a man with a green hand holding it up, palm out to the tear.

 **Better.** Dawn hummed in her head. **It does not hurt anymore.**

' _A mage?'_ She exchanged shocked looks with her companions. ' _What kind of power is that?'_

Then he yanked his hand away, cutting the connection between himself and the rift. The tear in the veil was mended, sealing shut with a _whoosh_ of magic. The last of the demons disintegrated without their connection to the Fade, and the strangers relaxed.

"What the…"

They all had their mouths hanging open.

"Did he just… seal the veil?" Orphin blinked.

"I wonder what kind of magic that was." Shanelle's eyes glinted with greed, "… And how attached he is to that arm."

Karliah gave her an exasperated look. "I'm assuming physically attached."

Shanelle stuck her tongue out.

"We should head back to the base before that templar woman catches our scent." Hadir interrupted them, hawkish gaze locked on the warrior of the group.

Three of them turned to leave, but Karliah did not move.

"Karliah?" Orphin raised his brows expectantly.

She remained at the ledge of the mountain, looking down on the adventurers with her arms crossed, a thoughtful look on her face. "You three go back without me. I think I will follow them."

"Why?" Hadir asked, wrinkling his nose in obvious disapproval.

"That mage with the glowing hand is tied to the Fade." She told them. "I want to know how, why, and what they are doing here."

"To seal the rifts, duh." Shanelle muttered.

Karliah shook her head. "No, they are combing the land. Searching. See how they spread out as they walk? Scanning the land around them? They came here for a reason."

The other mages hesitated.

"I am more likely to be seen if you accompany me." Karliah told them, shooing them away. "Go back to the camp and tell the others not to worry about the rift anymore. And make sure no one wanders out of the caves while these strangers are still in the area."

The three of them nodded at her and turned to leave. Karliah hopped down the rock and slid down the mountain side, landing in a crouch, her staff thumping against her back. As she straightened she pulled on the veil and wrapped it around her, her form fading, flickering, less noticeable to others. Then Karliah set off in the direction that the adventurers had gone, following the trail of indented soil and broken twigs.

She remained far enough behind them so that their forms were but small figures on the horizon, not wanting to alert the warrior or the rogue, which were more likely to sense her. They stayed apart from one another, spread out and glancing up and down the mountains. Looking for a cave perhaps?

A cold feeling slid down her back. What if they were looking for the Ramu Spiritu camp? How did they even know to look here?

They were bearing weapons, and it made the spirit defensive. Dawn bristled at the thought. The mages were under its protection. **Strangers are not welcome. What do they want?**

Karliah frowned, suddenly studying them with a calculating look. A glint of light caught her eye, and a glance up revealed templar bandits had staked out on the ridges, waiting to ambush the group unawares. She counted fifteen, maybe more, far too many for the four adventurers. She crouched in the brush and crawled closer.

A silent signal rippled through the ambushers as they crouched and waited for the strangers to walk into their trap. Then a yell ripped the air, and the Templars converged upon them.

"Halt!" She heard the female warrior cry out. "We are not apostates!"

"I don't think they care, Seeker!" The dwarf scoffed as he began firing off volleys of arrows from a rather impressive crossbow.

' _A Seeker?'_ Karliah furrowed her brow. She'd heard that name before, but she could not remember where.

"Protect the Herald!" The elf mage ordered the woman as he cast a barrier around them.

' _The Herald? As in the Herald of Andraste?'_ Karliah wondered. ' _They must be with the Inquisition, then'._ A name that was on many lips, these days.

 **That man is Fade-touched.** Dawn whispered in her head. **But his is different. In his arm, not his head. No spirit, but something else.**

' _Okay…'_ Karliah frowned. Spirits liked to talk in circles, don't they?

 **Squares.** Dawn huffed, a feeling of amusement rippling through her.

Of course, she got stuck with the sassy spirit that had somehow developed a sense of humor. She had no idea where Dawn had learned it. Certainly not from her. Maybe from Micah?

Karliah's attention was drawn back to the battle as the four companions fell back, badly injured and losing quickly. The Templars were closing in on them. Karliah counted six dead on the ground, two engaged with the warrior, another two slamming their shields against the elf's barrier spell, one had been paralyzed by the human mage – or the Herald, she supposed – and the dwarf was in the shadows, picking out the vulnerable spots in the templar armor. Back up was coming for the Templars however, as two Templars attacked from the front and suddenly the four adventurers looked nervous, and two more popping out of the bushes behind them.

"We need to retreat!" The elf cried. "They will overtake us soon!"

"And go where?" The other mage snapped. "They have us surrounded!"

' _Should I help?'_ Karliah wondered. The apostate in her immediately said no, self-preservation came first. But then she remembered that this 'Herald' was the only person capable of closing these tears in the veil, as far as she knew. Could they risk that? Could she?

The Herald glanced back at the Templars flanking them, and Karliah caught her breath. ' _No… Impossible…'_

His face was familiar. Tanned skin, blue eyes, dark hair, square jaw and aquiline nose. He was older now, it had been years since she had last seen his face, but there was no mistaking his identity.

' _CEDRIC?!'_

 **You know him.** Dawn's words were somewhere between a question and a statement. She could feel the spirit dive into her memories, searching for the familiar face. **Oh. Friend. From before.**

Well shit, guess she had to help now. She felt Dawn's amusement grow into excitement as she shifted to grab her staff and enter a battle stance. Magic flowed through her veins, roaring through her like a tidal wave, as she called upon the energy around them.

 _ **Kill the Templars.**_

* * *

 **Quick note:**

 _'Karliah thinking'_

 **Dawn talking**

 _ **Dawn & Karliah thinking together**_

 **~~~ Please leave a review!**


	5. Chapter 5 - Ramu Spiritus

**STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIES**

 **New chapter up!**

* * *

Cedric and his companions jumped back in surprise as an electric current leapt life around them, traveling from enemy to enemy, the current running through the metal of their armor, into their bodies, into their hearts, the faint smell of burned flesh on the wind. The weaker templars fell immediately, but the stronger ones stumbled forward and managed to dispel the magic affecting them. But almost as soon as the electricity lost its spark, the ground beneath them cracked, the stone warped, and a jaw of sharp rock snapped upwards from the earth, crushing them like insects. Then it sunk back into the ground, taking most of the bodies with it, leaving only a few body parts sticking out of the ground and a large puddle of blood.

Then there was silence.

"Who's there?" Cassandra demanded, spinning around to search for whatever mage had been responsible for this. Neither Solas nor Cedric wielded those elements.

The voice that responded came from above.

"These are dangerous times, Seeker. You should be more careful."

They glanced up in surprise at the youthful female voice, a slim, willowy woman perched on an outcrop that stuck out from the hillside. She was in a crouch, balancing on her toes as she rested her elbows on her knees, one arm holding her staff as it leaned against her shoulder while the other was extended limply. She was wearing battlemage armor, high quality at that, with delicate links of metal creating a slinky chainmail suit with a blue cloth tunic buckled over it, slit at the sides to allow her legs to move, the flaps hanging down between her thighs as she crouched.

Either she was an ex-Circle mage or a well-off apostate. Cedric couldn't help but smirk as he thought, _Solas should take notes. Even apostates can be presentable._

Curls draped over her shoulder in a sloppy ponytail, with thick bangs covering the odd bandages wrapped around her forehead, falling off to one side and almost concealing her right eye. The Inquisition agents found themselves unnerved by her white hair and eyes like silverite, molten liquid metal glinting apathetically, looking less than human.

"Who are you?" Cassandra asked warily.

' _White hair…'_ Cedric thought as his skin prickled. ' _Could she be the White Witch?'_

"Just an apostate passing by." The woman shrugged. "I doubt we'll be acquainted long enough to get to names."

But then her eyes slid over to Cedric, and a feeling of déjà vu hit him like a punch to the stomach. She looked familiar… but he would surely remember if he had even met someone that looked like _her._ He definitely would have tried to lift her skirts if she had been at any of the Circles he had visited.

"Thank you for your help." Solas dipped his head, sending a disapproving look at the Seeker. "I do not think we would have lasted much longer."

"Eh, I'll take any excuse to take out a couple templars." The witch joked, making Cassandra narrow her eyes.

' _Oh dear.'_

The same thought seemed to have occurred to Varric as well, since the dwarf quickly interrupted that train of conversation.

"So, you wouldn't happen to be the one they call the 'White Witch', would you?" The rogue asked with a gleam in his eyes.

She tilted her head with a smirk. "Smart dwarf."

' _So she is the White Witch.'_ Cedric mused as his eyes swept over the petite woman. ' _And to think that all the templars fear her. She must be quite powerful.'_

Indeed, earth magic was a rare art form, and not easy to control. She seemed to have an affinity for other elements as well. "That was impressive spellwork there. Nearly ten templars in one go. Are you from the Circles?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Yes and no. I escaped my prison many years ago, and I learned most of my magic outside of it."

"P-Prison?!" Cassandra spluttered in indignation, but thankfully did not go into a speech on the necessity of the Circles. He doubted the witch would listen.

' _Why does she seem so familiar?_ _I would have remembered someone with those features in the towers…'_ It was like an itch he couldn't scratch, and it was driving him crazy! Cedric concentrated on her face, looking past the most striking features, past the hair and the eyes – the straight nose, wide cheekbones, sharp chin, tan skin. He imagined her with brown eyes and short brown curls, and suddenly he could not deny the uncanny resemblance.

"Wait." He watched as she stiffened under his gaze, her eyes snapping over to him with a piercing gaze. She kept her face devoid of emotion, but Cedric caught the glimpse of recognition in her eyes as she looked upon him.

He hesitated. "K-Karliah?"

She blinked at him, her fingers tightening around her staff for a moment, but that was the only sign of discomfort from her.

Then, ever so slowly, she bowed her head in his direction. "Hello, Cedric."

Her smooth voice transported him back to the Circle, when they were teenagers playing pranks on enchanters, surrounded by friends long gone, Karliah's scolding tone, his teasing laugh. She had been the sister he had always wanted, a steady hand in the whirlwind that was Cedric Trevelyan.

Cedric felt his throat close up for a moment as he looked at her with new eyes. Her expression was careful, calculating, eyes dark and haunted, and Maker she was thinner than ever. The life of an apostate could not be easy, but Cedric could see that she had been living a life of violence long before the war.

"You're… You're alive!" He breathed, suddenly striding forward, but she did not leap down from her perch to meet him, opting to remain out of hugging range.

"That is a matter of debate." She smiled at some joke he did not get.

"Herald." They both turned their attention back to Cassandra, as if remembering that they were not alone. "Do you know this woman?"

Cedric grinned, suddenly feeling lighter than he had in days. "Guys, this is Karliah, an old friend from my childhood. Karliah, meet Solas, Cassandra, and Varric."

Karliah's eyes followed his finger as he pointed at each companion.

"I suppose that means she was from your Circle, then?" Cassandra asked him, shifting uncomfortably. "From Ostwick?"

Karliah nodded as Cedric spoke in affirmation. "Yeah, we were apprentices around the same time."

"But she left." The Seeker noted with a disapproving tone.

Cedric could see the anger flash in Karliah's eyes before it was carefully concealed.

"There were extenuating circumstances." The mage woman said in a clipped voice. They all took the hint and let the subject drop.

Cedric cleared his throat, sending a glare at Cassandra. "So, Karliah, how did you end up here?"

"Well, the Free Marches was not the safest place for mages after some dickhead blew up a Chantry." Karliah said, and Varric winced at the comment. "So I left the country. I had been part of the mage underground for a few years by then, and there were rumors among the apostates pointing to Ferelden."

"And now you are a part of the Rebellion?" Cedric asked expectantly. He was surprised when Karliah scoffed.

"I was. But things have changed." She replied.

"I hear there are two factions now." Cedric said, earning a raised brow from his taciturn friend.

She clicked her tongue. "Someone has spies in the right places."

He gave her his most charming smile, but Karliah had never been swayed by his charms before, and it seems that wasn't going to change anytime soon, if her unimpressed look was anything to go by.

"What do you know about this new faction?" Cedric asked her. "We know that they call themselves Ramu Spiritus, but we do not know much else."

Now Karliah narrowed her eyes at him. "How do you know that name?"

"Spies." Cedric answered blatantly, earning an amused huff from Varric.

Karliah muttered under her breath before returning her attention to him and his companions. "So, what do you want with them?"

"Just to talk." Cedric answered. Two could play coy.

Karliah snorted. "Yeah, they don't _talk_. They don't trust anyone outside the group, let alone anyone who is _not_ a mage." She made a pointed look at Cassandra and Varric.

"Sounds like you know them pretty well." Cedric hedged.

"I do." Karliah nodded but said no more.

"Could you get us a pass?" Cedric asked, activating his puppy eyes. "Pleeeease?"

Karliah let out a harsh bark of laughter. "That only worked when you were ten, Trevelyan."

"Come on, Karli." She startled at the use of her old nickname. "The world is falling apart! Can't you help out an old friend before it all ends?"

"So fatalistic." Karliah hummed as she carefully glanced over his companions once more. She was pondering his request, at least. "My colleagues will be extremely angry if I bring a bunch of non-mage strangers back to camp." Her eyes settled on Cassandra. "Especially a Chantry dog."

Cassandra opened her mouth to retort, but Cedric held up his hands at both of them, and for once he was the one sending a disapproving look towards Karliah.

"That wasn't nice, Karliah."

She shrugged. "Just putting it into perspective for you. We've been living in fear of the templars for years, and Seekers are even worse."

"Eh, she kind of has a point." Varric admitted, earning a scathing look from the Seeker in question.

"What can we do to convince you to let us see Ramu Spiritus?" Cedric asked her. Then his head snapped to look at Cassandra with an urgent expression. "How fast do you think Leliana could procure Golden Antivan tea? The black market ought to be the fastest way…"

"Excuse me?!" Cassandra asked him incredulously, while Solas wrinkled his nose at the mention of tea.

Karliah sniffed. "You will not be using my weakness for tea against me this time, Trevelyan."

The man only grinned roguishly. "When was the last time you had your favorite tea, Karli? It's pretty expensive for an apostate. And hard to find outside of Antiva and the Free Marches."

The witch scowled reluctantly.

"You help me out, I help you out." He urged her in a singsong voice.

Karliah looked away. "I… may or may not have an idea."

"Are you seriously bribing a witch with tea?" Varric asked in a deadpan, then chuckled. "Oh I gotta remember to write this down."

Karliah tapped her chin in thought for a moment. "How do you guys feel about Fade-stepping?"

"Fade whating?" Cedric blinked as Solas raised his brows in surprise at the human mage.

"It's advanced spirit magic." Karliah told him. "I can teleport short distances by stepping into the Fade in one area and stepping out of it in another. Essentially folding space and time."

"So we would just have to be close to wherever your base is and you can take us there without, well, taking us there?" Cedric furrowed his brows at the spell, wishing he had time to discuss the theory behind it. It sounded pretty useful in a fight.

"Yup."

"Fade-stepping is pretty advanced magic that takes a lot of precision and control." Solas spoke up, looking at Karliah curiously. "Are you sure you can do it?"

Cedric had never seen Karliah look so offended as she sniffed and gave the elf a disdainful look. "I assure you, I am quite experienced in the matter."

Cedric hid a smile, knowing it would only further irritate the witch.

"All this for tea?" Varric scoffed, as if he still couldn't believe such a bargain.

"You wouldn't understand." Karliah had a dreamy look on her face. "Antivan Gold is the best tea in the entire world."

Varric turned to Cedric and mouthed 'she's crazy' at the Herald, only making Cedric smirk wider. Solas wrinkled his nose.

"So, when do you wanna go?" Karliah asked them.

Cedric glanced at the sky above them. It was late afternoon, though the sun had yet to set. "Er, now?"

Karliah hid her surprise at that. "Hm, it should be after dinnertime. Hopefully they'll be less likely to fry you with their bellies full."

"That… is not comforting." Varric muttered.

"Well," The witch hopped off of the ledge and landed on the ground with surprising grace. Karliah of the Circle tripped over at least one book per day. "Let's get going."

* * *

Fade-stepping was certainly an experience for Cedric. He had been in the Fade before, in his dreams of course, but Fade-stepping meant that he had actually passed through the Fade physically, if only for a moment. If felt like passing through water, one second he was in this world, the next he was falling, forward, backward, sideways, all at once. He felt a strange sensation ripple across his skin, slight pressure in his mind, making his ears pop.

Then he was standing on solid ground, and somehow it caught him off guard. He clutched Karliah's side for a few more seconds as he fought off the disorientation and the nausea.

"Oh…" Cedric muttered. "I don't think I like that."

"The first time is always the worst." Karliah assured him.

"I dunno if I want there to be a second time." He joked in a strained voice.

He still had his eyes squeezed shut, but he could feel her chest rise and fall as she huffed at him. "Big baby."

"Lady Karliah!"

Cedric opened his eyes and found himself both impressed and alarmed at the throng of mages gathered around them, elf and human, children, adults, some in robes, others in civilian clothing.

' _How do you even manage to hide a force this large?!'_ He thought, until he looked around himself and felt his mouth drop open at the sight of the cavern they were occupying.

It was as if someone had emptied out the entire mountain. There were a few places where the sky was visible between gaping crags of rock, pale light filtering to the bottom in a gentle caress. The open space of the cave was large enough to hold a small village, and indeed it did, with the number of tents perched up in neat little rows throughout the main cave. There was plenty of light as torches were placed periodically around the area, illuminating a makeshift fighting arena, several alchemic desks, and several spits with dinner halfway eaten. The gurgle of a waterfall told him that there was a water source readily available within the cave, which also explained the amount of vegetation that managed to grow within the cavern, sporadic bursts of green breaking up the sand and rock.

"Who the hell is this?" A voice demanded, and Cedric returned his attention to the crows in front of them. A young man stood at the front of the crowd, tousled brown hair, suspicious eyes, arms crossed, and surprisingly muscled for how skinny he looked at first glance.

"Micah." Karliah greeted the man with familiarity. "We will be having guests. Please behave."

"I _always_ behave." Micah replied dramatically, and somehow that only made Cedric doubt his words more.

"You said guests. Plural." Another mage stepped forward, an older man with olive skin, a shaved head, and a thick, black curly beard. He wore the robes traditional of a First Enchanter, though they were worn and fraying. His eyes pierced Cedric with the same soul-bearing intensity that all First Enchanters seemed to bare, and suddenly the Herald felt like an apprentice in the Circle again.

"Yes, I will be transporting the others here shortly." Karliah told him.

"Is that wise?" The enchanter asked her.

"Not really." Karliah shrugged, making the old man pinch his nose. "But they convinced me, so here we are. Cedric, meet my own companions. Micah –" She pointed at the snarky young man, "Hadir –" She pointed at the old enchanter, "Orphin –" She pointed at a graying elf, "And Shanelle." She pointed at a dark Rivaini woman that had remained in the shadows.

"Everyone," Now she directed her voice to not only her friends, but to the crowd of mages around them. "This is Cedric Trevelyan. He is an old friend from the Ostwick Circle."

He saw a couple of the mages nod their approval at the verification that he was a mage, a few faces lighting up in recognition of that particular tower. Circle mages had always been a tight-knit group. However, Karliah's friends Micah had a very different expression on his face.

"Karliah." Micah hissed as he approached her and looked Cedric up and down with caution. "Do you know who this man _is_?"

"I do." Karliah pierced him with a look that said _shut up right now._

' _Ah damn. Looks like someone already knows I'm the Herald.'_ Cedric thought to himself.

"Now," Karliah turned to Hadir, Orphin, and Shanelle. "I want you guys to clear the place. Especially the mages that are spooked by swords. One of our guests is a warrior. I don't want anyone having an episode."

They nodded, and Hadir and Orphin began shuffling people back and telling them to go back to their lessons. That perked Cedric's interest. Lessons? The Rivaini woman was approaching a few of the mages and mumbling soft words to them, pointing in the direction of the farthest caves.

"Micah, stay here." Karliah caught the man's arm in a death grip before he could slip away. The apostate pouted. "Watch Cedric while I go retrieve his friends."

"He's a grown man…" Micah muttered in a whine.

But Karliah had already stepped away, and Cedric couldn't help but stare in fascination as the air in front of her rippled with some invisible force, her foot went forward, then she blinked out of sight.

"Wow." He shook his head. Magic never ceased to amaze him.

There was a moment of awkward silence after Karliah left where Micah was blatantly studying Cedric, and the Herald was looking anywhere by him. He let his eyes wander over the Ramu Spiritus base, impressed with how well organized everything was despite living in the wilderness for so long and being at war with the Templars.

"So."

Cedric looked up to see Micah cross his arms again. "You're the Herald of Andraste."

"Some call me that." He admitted.

"Do you believe it yourself?" The apostate asked him.

"Not really. Just incredibly unfortunate." Cedric answered.

Micah nodded. "Well, as long as you don't start an Exalted March against mages you're not bad, I guess."

"You think I would do that?" Cedric exclaimed incredulously. "You wound me, messere."

"I think the Chantry would." Micah shrugged. "And the Inquisition and the Chantry are usually affiliated."

Cedric couldn't fault him for that. They lapsed into another moment of silence.

The pressure in the cave became heavy for a moment as the air around them rippled, and then Karliah was stepping through arm-in-arm with Solas. Cedric scowled at how unperturbed Solas looked, seemingly unaffected by the Fade-step. Did nothing bother that elf? Oh wait, tea…

"One down, two to go." She paused, then turned to look at the elf with furrowed brows. "Do you think the dwarf can even make it through? I forgot about their nullification qualities…"

"I think it will work for something as quick as the Fade-step." Solas assured her. Karliah nodded and turned to leave again, the air flicking and popping as she left.

"Herald." Solas greeted him. Then the elf turned to the other human with an expectant look.

"I think I'll wait on the introductions until everyone is here." Micah said with a dismissive look.

Solas' eyes flickered with annoyance, which was exactly what Micah was poking for. Cedric had to smother a laugh. Oh Maker, Micah was just like Cedric when he had been younger!

"So, what has Karliah been up to lately? Aside from the ritual slaughter of Templars." Cedric chuckled dryly, Solas' ears perking to attention at his comment.

Micah smirked at his description. "Only met her last year myself, when she first started all this." He motioned to the cavern around them, filled with mage refugees. "At first she just wanted to help those that had been left behind when the Circles fell..."

Cedric and Solas followed Micah's gaze to where a group of children were sitting in the fading sunlight, bent over scratching in the dirt while an enchanter used magic to write glowing letters in the air for them to copy down. They were learning how to write, Cedric realized with a start.

"… then more kept coming." Micah chuckled. "And she would always take them in. Some went on to join the Rebellion, but most of them stayed here."

"Wow." Cedric shook his head. "How many do you have?"

"Bout a hundred, give or take." Micah tapped his chin as he wracked his head for a number, not seeing the astonished looks on the faces of the other mages. "Who knows. They just keep coming. Especially after the split at Redcliffe."

Cedric was about to ask about that when the air flickered again, and Karliah stepped through with a very disoriented Cassandra clinging to her arm.

"Get. Off." Karliah growled, peeling the Seeker off of her, not caring how the woman swayed unbalanced.

Cedric rushed forward and caught Cassandra before her legs buckled, holding her until she found her balance. "Why Seeker, I always knew you would fall into my arms one day~"

"Shut up, Trevelyan." Cassandra growled as she straightened.

The Herald sent her a wink.

The air shivered and became heavy as Karliah stepped away again. Cassandra glanced around the cavern and was obviously shocked at the sheer number of mages hiding in the cavern, and grudgingly impressed at its organization.

Karliah broke into a light sweat when she pulled Varric through the Fade, expending twice as much energy transporting him than a human or elf. She hid her exhaustion well, but Varric was clearly agitated by the Fade-step, the poor dwarf turning green and desperately fighting to keep his lunch down.

"L-Let's not do that again." Varric muttered.

Cassandra seemed to smirk at Varric's expense. Those two. Cedric shook his head.

"Right, let's go somewhere private so we can talk." Karliah clapped her hands, turning to Micah. "Would you please go get the other horsemen? And bring the wine."

"I'll bring the cask." Micah joked as he turned to follow her orders.

Karliah was already walking away from them, towards the rows of tents that filled up the grand cavern. The largest tent sat off to the side, away from the others, taking up a small half-dome of rock. It was clearly the tent which belonged to the leader of these Ramu Spiritu.

"So they really call the others the Four Horsemen?" Varric laughed, though his voice was still strained.

Karliah chuckled with him. "They found the title entertaining."

"The White Witch and the Four Horsemen." Varric murmured, as if tasting the words on his tongue. "Not a bad book title. You'll have to tell me some of your adventures."

"One day, perhaps." Karliah mused as she pulled aside the tent flap to reveal a center table surrounded by chairs, a map of Ferelden, specifically the Hinterland region, spread upon the table. Various books and scrolls were scattered around the area, on the table, chairs, sitting on makeshift bookshelves and benches. A divider was unfolded and standing off to the right, probably where Karliah's bedroll was.

"So, you're the leader of Ramu Spiritu." Cedric shook his head. "I still can't believe it."

Cassandra and Varric did a double-take, apparently having not made that connection yet.

"Wait, so the legendary templar killers are also the leaders of the 'peaceful' mage faction?" Varric asked skeptically as four more mages entered the tent and took seats around the table.

"It was our agreement with the Rebellion." Karliah told them, taking a moment to briefly introduce the other four mages.

"We fight for them, they stop sending the inexperienced and the peaceful into battle like lambs to the slaughter." Orphin interjected, clearly not happy with how the Rebellion had handled things.

"All noncombatants were sent to Ramu Spiritu." Karliah nodded. "I initially created this group to be a haven for the children that were left behind when the Circles fell. They had little to no training, no experience with the world outside the tower, and could not fight for themselves. No food, no money, and many did not have homes outside of the Circle. We could not risk the wave of abominations that would arise because hundreds of mage children were left to defend themselves."

More than one of the mages looked at the Seeker with an admonishing expression. And for her part, Cassandra looked ashamed of how the Chantry had handled the situation.

"The children are the first casualty when people start targeting mages." Hadir said, his eyes becoming sad as he thought of all those students that had been abandoned by the Circles. "They have no control and are defenseless. They were also the first to be put to the brand when many Circles fell, since they did not run away like many of the older mages did."

Cedric felt his blood grow cold. "Are you serious?!"

"The Chantry would never condone that!" Cassandra snapped.

"In case you haven't noticed, Seeker," Micah drawled. "The Templars are no longer under Chantry control. We know of at least two Circles which were exterminated even though there was no Chantry authorization of an Annulment, and one _failed_ annulment."

" _Maker_." Varric swore as Solas' eyes flashed with uncharacteristic rage.

"And you know this how?" Cassandra demanded.

" _My_ Circle was exterminated." Hadir growled with barely leashed fury, making the Seeker snapped her mouth shut. "We knew that the Templars were going to turn on us, given our proximity to Kirkwall, but that still did not minimize the losses when the tower fell. I and only a handful of students and enchanters survived."

"We've been taking in survivors from across Thedas. Stories about the Templars have only grown worse the longer they are without Chantry control." Karliah steered the conversation away from the subject which was still sore for the First Enchanter. "They hear that Redcliffe is the heart of the Rebellion, but when they arrive they realize that they don't want to fight. Everyone who ended up at Ramu Spiritus are the ones that never wanted a war. We just wanted our freedom."

Cassandra looked saddened at that. "I know. I assure you, there are many among the Chantry and among the Templars that want to change that. There are many who have been trying for many years."

"It matters little when the majority will not allow change to happen." Micah glowered at her. "And no one ever steps in when Templars abuse their authority until it is too late."

The Kirkwall incident went unsaid, but everyone was thinking about it.

"So, what happened to make you guys cut your ties with the Rebellion?" Cedric finally asked.

Karliah exchanged pensive looks with the Horsemen, before turning to Cedric with a cold expression. "The Rebellion has allied with Tevinter."

The tent descended into shocked silence.

"Well." Varric sighed. "Shit."

* * *

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	6. Chapter 6 - Arrival to Haven

**STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIES**

* * *

"So, what will you do now?" Karliah asked Cedric and the other Inquisition agents.

Cedric glanced at his companions, looking a little uncomfortable as they waited for his answer. He had never been the leader of anything growing up; he had always been the type of person to 'go with the flow'. Becoming the unspoken leader of a holy Inquisition had definitely _never_ crossed his mind. One day he might have been chosen to lead the Circle, but that would have been many years from now.

"I… I suppose we'll have to speak with the Rebellion," Cedric began slowly, turning back to Karliah. "And hope that we can convince them to see reason."

"It will not be so easy gaining their help." Karliah said, surprising everyone in the tent as she leaned forward at the table and laced her fingers together. "The Tevinter force is keeping a close eye on the Rebellion. They are prisoners already, whether they realize it or not. The Tevinters will not simply let them walk away."

The Inquisition company looked disturbed by this information, as if the knowledge of a Tevinter conspiracy was not bad enough.

"Wonderful…" Varric muttered.

"Regardless, it is paramount that we gain mage support to close the Breach." Cassandra said, looking at Karliah with a questioning gaze. "What of your mages? Could Ramu Spiritus help us?"

"I'm afraid not." Karliah shook her head. "We have only a handful of full enchanters with us. The majority of our group are students still. Most of the powerful mages went to the Rebellion."

"But perhaps we should join the Inquisition anyway." The oldest mage interrupted, gaining the attention of the room.

Karliah lifted an eyebrow, waiting for his explanation.

"We cannot remain in the Hinterlands forever. Our group is large, with many growing children that need to eat. But there is only so much food available to us here." Hadir pointed out. "And we are constantly under threat from templar hunters. The Inquisition could provide us the support and protection we sorely need."

Although Shanelle and Micah looked disgruntled at the idea, but Orphin and Karliah were slowly nodding their heads.

"And should things not work out with the Rebellion, you would still be able to count mages among your forces." Hadir added. "And even just a few mages can turn the tide of a battle."

"What of their templars?" Orphin jumped in, narrowing his eyes at Cassandra and looking pointedly at the flaming eye on her armor. "How large a force do you have, at the moment? Can you control them? We are not fond of their kind."

Cassandra narrowed her eyes but wisely bit her lip to stop herself from lashing out. "About fifty survived the explosion of the Conclave and remained with us after the Order left the Chantry."

Orphin relaxed a little. "Let us hope they can act civil, then."

"We can make it work." Karliah assured them. "Those of us that are… _uncomfortable_ with the Templars will simply have to avoid them."

"Well, we need all the help we can get at this point." Cedric joked. "But Haven is pretty far from here. Do you think your kids could make it?"

"We've been living in the wilderness for over a year now, the apostates even longer." Karliah shrugged as she glanced at the tent they were in. "We'll make it."

"We will send an attachment of Inquisition soldiers with them." Cassandra told Cedric. "And a runner to Haven so that they can make arrangements."

"Are we seriously joining the Inquisition?" Micah grumbled, wincing when Karliah stomped on his foot. "I mean, great! Sounds great!"

There was an amused huff from the Rivaini woman as Karliah rolled her eyes.

"Consider the deal done, then." Cedric exclaimed, looking excited at the prospect of being surrounded by mages once again.

After the final plans were outlined Karliah escorted the Inquisition agents out of the hidden cavern via Fade-step once more. Cedric and his companions returned to the Crossroads to speak with Corporal Vale about sending a contingent of soldiers to escort Ramu Spiritus back to Haven, and sent a messenger to Leliana and Josephine to add more tents to the field outside of a Haven.

While Cassandra was more than a little ruffled after meeting with the defensive mages, Cedric couldn't help but feel strangely elated. The fact that Karliah was alive was still a novelty to him. What had happened the night of her disappearance? He got shivers just thinking about the dark expression on her face when Cassandra had questioned her about it. Deep down, he just knew that leering templar had something to do with it.

He felt a familiar tingle at his fingertips, sparks flickering around his hand, and took a deep breath to push it away. No point in losing his temper now. He'd ask her about it when they were back in Haven, when they were alone and could shed their masks.

It would be nice to be surrounded by magic again. The crackle of energy in the air, the hum of magic between fellow mages, the smell of old paper and ink, arguments of arcane theory broken only by the arrival of fresh tea. The Circles had always been a flawed system, but Cedric missed the community of mages that it had provided.

"Herald."

He looked up from the campfire, noticing Cassandra, Varric, and Solas approaching.

"We've got word about a carta group smuggling red lyrium nearby." The Seeker told him.

He nodded as he climbed to his feet. "Back to work, then."

* * *

Haven was smaller than she expected. Karliah sighed in relief as the fortified walls of the village came into view, a group of Inquisition agents standing outside the front gates awaiting the arrival of Ramu Spiritus.

It had been a long trip, especially without horses. Most of the mages walked, since they could not afford a small herd to ride on, and having so many children they could not walk far without stopping to rest. Hadir and Neera were the only trained healers in the group (though Neera was still an apprentice) and had worked overtime trying to offset frostbite as the group traveled further into the mountains without extra clothing or blankets.

 **Cold.** Was all Dawn had said before the spirit curled up in the back of her mind and went into hibernation. Apparently the spirit shared her hatred of snow, Karliah chuckled.

 _The spirit reawakens when they approach the new place, a town full of new people. It did not like new people. It extended its awareness, like a dragon spreads its wings to catch flight, sweeping over the minds in the vicinity, alert for any tainted by darkness and danger. When it was satisfied that none were aiming their darkness at its host, the spirit folded its wings and retreated back into her mind and waited, watching._

 **It is safe here.** Dawn told Karliah, but she could feel its attention turn to the giant hole in the sky, so much bigger now that they were closer to the blast. **But I do not like being so close to that thing.**

' _I will be sure to stay away from it_.' She assured the spirit. _'I don't want it latching onto you.'_

She could feel Dawn's relief in her head.

Karliah was at the head of the line of mages, her Four Horsemen flanking her as she approached the three Inquisition leaders standing at the top of the stairs leading up to the gates. At the front stood a woman in rogue armor and a hood, red strands of hair fluttering around her neck, serene blue eyes watching her with deceptive attention. On her left stood an Antivan woman with a friendly gaze and a gaudy gold and blue dress that practically screamed nobility. On the right was a tall blonde man built like a tank, clearly a warrior from his stance and the sword at his side, despite not wearing any armor. He eyed them like they were a pack of hungry wolves, as if they would all burst into flames and become abominations the moment they set foot on Haven soil.

 _A templar._ She thought with an inward sneer, immediately hating the man. _He might not be wearing the armor, but it's as obvious as the day is long._

Her companions seemed to sense it too, as she could feel the tension ripple through the Four Horsemen as they walked up to meet with the Inquisition leaders, with their attention focused on the man with the sword and aura of a templar, the air around him still and absent of magic. Magic and Templars were the two poles on a magnet – magic was positive, Templar juju was negative, and they did not react well when they connected.

 _Time to play nice._ Karliah chided herself, forcing herself to relax her shoulders, and hoping her companions would behave themselves.

"Hello and welcome." The redhead greeted them first, dipping her head with a small smile. "You must be the mages Cassandra messaged us about?"

"I would hope we are." Karliah chuckled, plastering on a friendly smile. "Otherwise I fear we are in the wrong place."

The women tittered at her words while the man frowned.

"Allow me to introduce myself." The hooded woman continued. "I am Leliana, former Left Hand of the Divine. This is Josephine Montilyet, head ambassador of the Inquisition, and Cullen Rutherford, commander of the Inquisition's forces."

The two other advisors dipped their heads in greeting, although the Antivan woman was much friendlier.

"A pleasure." Karliah nodded. "I am Karliah Sahari, leader of Ramu Spiritus. These are my closest companions, Micah, Shanelle, Orphin, and Hadir. You have our sincerest thanks for providing us sanctuary during these hard times."

"Of course." Leliana glanced over the long line of mages that stretched down the road behind them, and to her surprise, showed honest sympathy in her gaze. "We are here to help. The Herald mentioned that you were also an old friend?"

"Yes, we grew up in the same Circle." Karliah nodded. "However, I ran away a few years later."

"It is of no matter now." Leliana waved it off, though the commander narrowed his eyes at the mage. "The Circles are gone. It is impressive that you managed to gather this many mages despite the war."

"It was largely unintentional, I assure you." Karliah chuckled. "I offered protection to some younger, weaker mages, and more chose to join us."

The Antivan woman, Josephine, stepped forward to interrupt. "I am sure your people are tired and cold, no? I have already had people set up several tents in the field to house your mages, and servants are cooking dinner as we speak."

"Thank the Maker..." Micah grumbled behind her, rubbing his stomach. Shanelle elbowed him, glaring at him to shut up.

Karliah sent Josephine a wry smile. "We thank you again for all that you have done for us." She turned back to Leliana. "I will speak with you tomorrow morning about what services my people can provide in return for your protection. But for now, I think it is time to get the others settled in."

Josephine led the group to a field just outside of the village walls, where rows of tents were propped up in the snow, larger and more comfortable than the tents that Ramu Spiritus had been depending on for the past year. These were large enough to house six or eight people per tent, and the smoke rising from their tops indicating that there were campfires inside each one for warmth.

It seemed they would be sharing space with the Inquisition's soldiers, if the men in uniform milling about was any indication. Karliah hoped that her mages would not cause trouble, though it was likely that there would be several incidents in the coming weeks. Mages and men in uniform did not mix well. Especially uniforms with swords.

' _At least no one here has the brand.'_ She though with a shudder, and felt Dawn growl at the mention of the Rite.

The mages settled into the camp with trepidation, casting cautious glances at the soldiers. The children unconsciously went into the tents in the middle of the mage area, surrounded by their elders and far away from the soldiers. Fires were lit, food was brought out, and bedrolls were spread.

The mentors hovered protectively as the students settled in, casting not-so-subtle glares at the Inquisition soldiers that dared to approach them, even if they were the ones bringing extra blankets and food. The children were given extra socks and boots, ram furs were passed out among the mages, and pots or spits were set up above the fires. Karliah took up a tent with Shanelle, and a few other older female enchanters, and the older men took up the tent next to them. They were on the edge of the mage camp, where their tents met those of the soldiers. She could feel the tension in the air, the awkward silence between them, the hushed whispers as the mages glanced at the soldiers carefully.

Karliah stood with her arms crossed in front of one of the bonfires lit in the middle of a circle of tents, the students devouring their meals as Hadir and the apprentice Neera checked over everyone's health.

"This is gonna be a long week." Orphin sighed as he came to a stop next to her, his gaze looking pointedly at the templars at the edge of the tents, whom had come to take a look at the new mages.

Karliah nodded. Already the children were complaining about the move, more as a way to cope with their fear than anything. Being so close to the Chantry and templars again was making them nervous.

"I miss our cave." Laurent whined as he rubbed his cold hands and held them out to the fire, the lanky boy shivering even with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders.

"Why did we even come here? We don't need more swords." Malcom muttered as he pulled the youngest, Amelia, into his lap and wrapped his blanket and arms around the girl as she dozed against his shoulder. The preteen glared at the templars, that hovered at the edge of camp, eyes flashing with pure hatred.

Another apprentice walked over to the fire, joining the enchanters where they watched the students eat their dinner.

"Lady Karliah." Roberto greeted in a low tone, far too serious for a teenage boy. He had been born to Antivan immigrants in Denerim, and had managed to maintain a slight accent despite being taken from his parents years before. "Are you sure this is for the best?"

She glanced up at the tall apprentice, reaching out to pat his shoulder. "I believe so. The Inquisition can protect us far better than the caverns could."

"Will our lessons continue?" Lisa came up behind Roberto, a hopeful look on her face.

"Of course." Orphin scoffed. "You kids aren't getting off that easy."

A couple of the students in the vicinity groaned, but Lisa grinned. "Yes!"

"You're such a nerd." Neera chuckled at her peer as she passed by with her arms filled with spare potion bottles and books, following Hadir as they began to set up a medic tent.

Karliah chuckled at their antics. It was good to see the kids relaxing despite the atmosphere. Hopefully they would learn to get along with the Inquisition.

It was dark now, they had arrived just as the sun had set. Despite this, the green glow of the Breach shone like a second moon, now quite as bright as the sun, but pervading the night like an unwelcome visitor. It made Dawn whimper in her head, flinching away at the sight of the veil torn so wide.

Karliah turned back to her tent, quietly slipping in through the thick flaps and being greeted by the soft radiance of red embers surrounded by bedrolls. Some were already filled, her fellow enchantress' having fallen to sleep soon after their stomachs were filled. Shanelle was waiting up for her, however, her dark skin fading into shadow, but her eyes were bright.

Karliah set her staff down beside her bedroll and began to strip off her battlemage armor, wincing at the clinking of the chainmail as she slipped out of it. When she was left in her smallclothes Shanelle handed her a clean tunic to sleep in. She shivered as she pulled it on, diving under the blankets to escape the cold.

"I don't like being this close to Templars." The blood mage murmured in a low voice.

"I don't like it either." Karliah agreed as she nestled into the blankets.

"They will not be happy when they find out how many of theirs we have killed." The Rivaini muttered darkly.

Karliah hummed. "You kept count? Cause I couldn't even guess how many we've killed at this point." She reached out from under the blankets and touched Shanelle's hand to comfort her. "We are useful to them. They will not hurt us and I won't let them take you."

She saw the woman relax slightly, a deep sigh leaving her. "I would rather die than be taken by the Templars again."

"Me too." Karliah admitted.

She was surprised when she heard Shanelle shift and then gentle fingers touched her forehead, fingers tracing the sun upon the bandages that covered her face. Karliah stiffened.

"You are stronger than I am, Karliah." The Rivaini whispered. "Whatever happens, I am with you."

* * *

The Fade was chaotic that night. Karliah wondered how many of the other mages entered their dreams that night only to be greeted by the giant black hole in the distance where the Breach was. It was even more terrifying in the Fade than in the physical world, black inside but glowing that sickly green at its edges, like a corrupted sun.

 **Don't look too long.** Dawn told her as she turned away to look at her spirit. It was back in its dragon form, curled up on a floating island against a broken wall with pillars and a single empty window, as if the island had been part of a castle before it had fallen into the Fade. Vines crawled up the ruined wall, half the pillars were collapsed into the overgrown garden in which Dawn had made a nest for them that night.

Karliah imagined stairs leading up to the island from where she stood, confidently manipulating the Fade as she walked up invisible ground to the floating island.

"Does it hurt to be close to it?" She asked as she crawled in between the front legs of the dragon spirit.

 **No. But I hate the light. It makes me confused.** Dawn told her.

"I wonder why. Is it the corruption?" Karliah asked.

 **I don't know.** The dragon's head came down and rested its chin on its front paws, and Karliah leaned her head against its thick neck. Then Dawn raised one of its wings up to cover both of their eyes, blocking out the ugly glow of the Fade tear. **Rest. It has been a long journey.**

"Why do I feel like things have only just begun?" Karliah murmured as she closed her eyes and slipped into a meditative state.

* * *

They were rudely woken at dawn as the sound of a bugle tore through the air, waking soldier and mage alike. Shanelle and Karliah had jumped out of their bedrolls and dove for their staffs, worried that they were under attack. But a peek outside the tent revealed the soldiers up and gobbling down their breakfast as they fastened on their armor and swords and ran out onto the training field.

"Fuckin' soldiers, fuckin' army…" Shanelle hissed as she squinted her eyes, the light of the morning sun piercing the darkness of the tent.

Karliah saw several other mages stick their heads out of the tents with worried faces, before realizing that it was meant for the soldiers, not them. Several scowled and muttered as they went back to their bedrolls, intent on going back to sleep.

' _Might as well get the day started.'_ She thought with a yawn.

Karliah turned to head back into the tent, sighing as she leaned her staff against one of the wooden poles holding up the tent as she picked up her armor. Shanelle was already asleep under her covers again, deaf to the jingle of chainmail and Karliah shimmied into her armor, strapped on her tunic and buckled her boots.

She picked up her staff and stared at it for a moment, feeling the familiar weight of the lyrium-infused metal, one end heavy with the blade attached to it. Runes were carved down its length, which glowed bright with magic if she looked at it with her Fade-vision. But in the physical world they were quiet, near invisible, unless one looked at the staff from a certain angle. It was worn from time and battles long past. She should have gotten a new one a while ago, but with the war even the most basic supplies was hard to come by.

Karliah blinked and her eyes glowed silver, activating her Fade-vision. The staff was splintered in the Fade, light and magic filtering through the cracks along its length. She would need to get a new one soon. This fight was far from over.

Allowing the glow to fade from her eyes, Karliah strapped on her harness and sheathed her staff, walking out into the morning.

She could already hear the yells and clang of swords in the field next to the camp. Walking to the edge of the tents, the mage paused to watch the soldiers as they fought in pairs or launched themselves at dummies.

Karliah had always wanted to learn how to use a sword, but it was a dream of the little girl that wanted to explore the world and study dragons, emulating the adventures of heroes of legend. Before the weight of magic fell on her shoulders, before the cruel reality of being a mage set in. This world did not want her kind. She would never be the hero of a fairytale.

"Good morning, Lady Karliah."

Karliah stiffened for a moment. He might not be a templar anymore, but there was something in his aura that reminded her of them, and it made her uncomfortable. She turned at the sound of crunching snow to see the Inquisition's commander approach her, eyeing her briefly before he concealed his wariness with a friendly smile.

"Commander Cullen." She greeted stiffly.

"Apologies if the morning horn woke you." Cullen told her, though it was an insincere thing. "But I'm afraid that I cannot afford to let the men have a day off."

Karliah only hummed in response.

"How are the mages?" Cullen asked when it became clear that Karliah had nothing to say on the subject.

"They are… better than expected." Karliah admitted as she watched the commander from the corner of her eye. "It will take time to relax around so many uniforms, though. I think it would be best to keep the Templars out of sight, for a while."

"I'm afraid the Templars are necessary." Cullen responded swiftly, his voice straining to conceal the sharp retort.

"You may have them on hand." Karliah attempted to keep her voice calm. "But keep them out of sight. None of us have had good experiences with templars in the past year or so."

"Not everyone has had good experiences with mages, either." Cullen practically growled.

"And some of us have been living in fear of the Templars as they struggle for food in the wilderness for the past year or more. Some of us have been living in the middle of a war zone where the Templars ambush us at night and kill us in our sleep." Karliah snapped in an icy tone. "Funny how Templars are quick to identify all the dangers that magic poses, and never how dangerous they can be."

She walked away before the conversation could turn to bloodshed. There was no point reasoning with Templars and anti-magic zealots. All the horrors that mages lived with every day and every night in the Fade was always justified by what they _could_ be. A good mage could live their entire lives and never hurt a soul, but they would never be allowed to see the light of day, to leave the tower or see their families again, imprisoned for the crime of being born.

Karliah stomped up the stairs through the gates of Haven, heading towards the Chantry where Leliana would meet with her. She had agreed to help the Inquisition make contact with the Rebellion, and offer the services of herself and her companions as a way to repay the debt of their stay at Haven.

"Karliah!"

She looked off to the side to see the Leliana loitering under a tent, waving her over.

"Good morning, Lady Leliana." Karliah greeted as she approached.

"Thank you for coming." Leliana told her as they took a seat on some boxes while Leliana pulled out a small scroll. "I've word from the Herald about what happened in Redcliffe. You have already told us about the deal with the Tevinters, but how much do you know about a group called the Venatori?"

Karliah shook her head. "Never heard of them. Why?"

"They are a Tevinter cult that seems to be obsessed with the Herald." Leliana said.

Karliah chuckled. "Normally Cedric would have loved that. An entire cult dedicated to him? His ego would fill up the entire room. But I take it these guys are bad?"

Leliana nodded as she handed the paper over to Karliah. It contained a brief description of the Venatori beliefs and their symbol.

"I believe that they are working with whoever was behind the blast at the Conclave." The redhead stated.

"And why are you telling me this?" Karliah raised her brows. "I've literally just joined the party here."

"We've already figured out that the meeting in Redcliffe castle will be a trap for the Herald, thanks to a tip." Leliana told her. "We can't send in an army, but I'm sending my agents to neutralize the trap. I want you and your Four Horsemen to go with them as back up. You're strong and have a personal connection with the mages there. I'm hoping if they see you, they will be more open to the Inquisition."

' _Time to start paying up.'_ Karliah thought in amusement. "Of course. We will do all we can to help."

"Good." Leliana nodded. "We will spring the trap in a week."


	7. Chapter 7 - Youth in War

**So this chapter strays away from our adult characters for a moment to focus on the younger magi. The students are an important motivator for Karliah, so I wanted to flesh out their characters a bit more.**

 **Also, there was bound to be a mage/templar skirmish sooner or later.**

 **STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIES**

* * *

While the majority of the Ramu Spiritus mages were noncombatant, they still had a more than a few healers that had not been killed on the frontline. Hadir directed the medic tent, with five spirit enchanters and eighteen healer mages under his command, as well as his apprentice Neera. Meanwhile, Karliah and Orphin were setting up lesson plans for the students, with meditation in the morning, followed by magical theory and spellwork. Once the soldiers were dismissed in the afternoon for dinner, the mages would take over the practice fields and practice casting and sparring with their staffs until dark.

It was difficult at first. While the mages played nice with the soldiers, they certainly did not extend the same curtesy to the Templars in the Inquisition. The glaring and cursing was only the beginning. The worst incident happened four days after their arrival – and honestly, Karliah was surprised that they even lasted that long.

The children had been given the afternoon off from lessons, and were finding ways to amuse themselves. The older apprentices had gone to the field to spar, still preoccupied with the war. The younger ones were running around playing tag, while Lisa was coddling little Amelia and reading to her by the fire.

Laurent was ' _it'_ and chasing Tara, Malcom, Amara and Avaro. They had come up with a simple spell that had cast a bright blue glow around Laurent's hands, marking him as ' _it'_ , until he managed to touch one of the others, thereby transferring the blue glow onto the new chaser.

"Come one Laurent, you're gonna have to be faster than that!" Avaro taunted the other young mage as Laurent drew closer and closer to Tara.

He nearly tripped over her feet as he launched himself forward and grabbed Tara's shoulder, accidentally yanking on one of her pigtails.

"Ha!" Laurent crowed triumphantly. "You're it!"

Tara glared at him over her shoulder, elven ears twitching in annoyance. Laurent's face paled as he backpedaled and ran to escape her wrath.

"That hurt you idiot!" Tara yelled as she stomped her foot, making a root rise up out of the ground and tripping the young Orlesian.

Avaro and Amara howled with laughter as Laurent landed on his butt, but soon choked on their giggles as Tara ran at them with her hands outstretched, showing off the blue light that marked her as ' _it'._

"Run!" Malcom yelled as they scattered, shrieking with laughter as the little elven mage chased them.

Tara aimed for Avaro, but the elf boy sent her an impish grin at her over his shoulder just as he snapped his fingers. The little elf yelped as she slid across a patch of frozen snow, a perfectly flat and smooth expanse of ice.

"That's cheating!" She yelled, and not to be outdone, sent a small bolt of lightning towards Avaro and making the boy's body jolt, causing him to trip and land face-first in the snow.

"So is that!" Cried Malcom behind her.

Tara turned around just in time to get a face full of a magically-induced snowball. "Oof!"

Malcom snickered as he lowered his hand, fingers still slightly blue as wisps of cold air drifted off of them. He didn't see Laurent sneaking up behind him until he felt a rush of ice sliding down the back of his tunic. The boy let out a high-pitch scream as he jump away from Laurent, shaking the ice out of his tunic and drawing the attention of the other two apprentices.

"Free for all!" Amara yelled as he turned back to Tara and swept up his arm, causing a wave of snow to rise and engulf her.

The game of tag devolved into a magical snowball fight, interspersed with weak bolts of electricity and misbehaving tree roots. Their shrieks of laughter drifted into the air, drawing amused smiles from the enchanters and a stream of giggles from Amelia clapped her hands excitedly, jumping up and down in Lisa's lap.

Amara and Avaro teamed up to take out younger kids, the elven twins murmuring a spell in tandem with each other, shaping the snow into a small snowbank tall enough to block out the others. Malcom, Tara, and Laurent teamed up to assault the snow fort, snowballs flying with unerring accuracy.

"Surprise attack!" Malcom exclaimed as he launched himself over the top of the snowbank and tackled Avaro.

"Ah!" Avaro made a dramatic show of clutching his side like a wounded warrior. "Man down!"

Amara was already ducking away from Malcom's reach as she chuckled, "But I'm still standing!"

The female twin ran out from behind the snowbank, and sent a barrage of magical snowballs towards Tara and Laurent.

"Can't catch me, kids." Amara taunted as she avoided their attacks, only to gasp as Malcom tagged her with a shock of electricity, making her hair frizz.

"Got ya!" Malcom sang as he winked at her shocked expression, only to yelp as a root curled around his ankle and push him into the snowy ground. Tara and Laurent leaned against each other as they giggled, until a snowball landed in each of their faces. Amara turned to share a grin with her twin as Avaro tossed a snowball in his hands casually, feigning innocence.

" _Enough!"_

The children froze as a wave of stale air rippled around them, stripping the magic from their fingers and momentarily leaving them stunned as their Fade connection was broken. They felt like they were choking, as if all the life had been suck out of them, leaving them with only empty shells.

Magic dispersion.

They turned slowly to look up into the darkened helm of a templar. Tara whimpered at the sight of the silver armor plating, stepping to hide behind Malcom and Laurent, clutching the back of Laurent's shirt as she trembled. Amara and Avaro placed themselves between the templar and the kids, crossing their arms defensively.

"What do you kids think you are –"

As if his voice was the trigger, Tara screamed and burst into tears. But instead of running away, as they had been expecting, she launched herself forward, elbowing her way past the other apprentices to attack the templar with her small fists.

"Murderer!" She screeched as she slammed into him.

The templar grunted as the small elf impacted his leg, but her punches hardly hurt with his armor on. "What the –? Get off me, mage!"

The templar grabbed the back of her robes and lifted the girl up easily with one arm, hold her aloft as she spat at him, kicking and screaming.

"Let her go!" Malcom snarled as he picked up a rock from the ground and threw it at the templar's helmet, hitting the visor with a _ping!_

Amara and Avaro touched their fingers together, a small glow flashing as their fingertips met and they felt their connection to the Fade click back into place.

"Why you –" The templar growled, backhanding Malcom in the face. The boy cried out in pain as he fell to the ground, sitting up and cupping his cheek as he glared at the man with unadulterated hatred.

Avaro and Amara growled as they leapt onto the templar, Amara sending an electric current through his arm and forcing his hand to lose its grip on Tara. Laurent caught Tara as she fell from the man's grip, dragging her back from the impending fight. Avaro thrust his hands out in front of him, energy exploding from his palms as they connected with the breastplate. The templar yelled in panic as he went flying backwards.

"Lemme at him!" Tara snarled, struggling against Laurent's arms around her waist as she reached out towards the templar, magic sparking at her fingertips but she still couldn't connect to the Fade.

Malcom had jumped to his feet and joined the twins as they advanced on the templar, hands crackling with energy. The twins faced him with emotionless faces, staring down at the man with cold eyes that demanded penance. Malcom was outwardly seething, a storm of aggression and anger compared to the silent judgment of Avaro and Amara.

They raised their hands, prepared to fry the metal man where he stood –

 _Crack, crack, hissss!_

They leapt back as a wall of ice rose up between them, twice as tall as a man and thick enough that their attacks could not even crack it.

" _What_ is going on here?!"

The kids spun around to and gasped at the sight of Karliah in her pissed off glory, white hair hovering around her shoulders as magic crackled around her, eyes flashing silver.

Cullen was not far behind her, followed by more templars, the commander sliding to a stop next to her. "What happened?" He demanded.

But at the sight of more templars the kids stiffened and slid back into defensive stances, hands glowing.

Karliah held up her hand, halting the templars before they could get close. Her gaze fell on the templar that the children had been attacking, the man stumbling to his feet and leaving the safety of her ice wall to stand in front of Cullen dutifully.

"Ser."

"Ser Alief. Report." Cullen ordered with narrowed eyes, Karliah giving the man a suspicious look.

The templar, Alief, shifted uneasily. "The kids were using unauthorized magic, ser, and endangering everyone around them by casting in a public space."

"They were in a training field, templar." Karliah snapped. "I don't see anyone else around, do you? Who were they endangering?"

Cullen sent a glare towards the witch. "Lady Karliah, let the man speak, please."

She huffed and walked away from the templars, approaching her students and eyeing them for any injuries. Her eyes flashed dangerously when she saw the bruise forming on Malcom's face, but otherwise the other kids seemed unharmed. Laurent still had his arms clasped around Tara, not willing to take the risk of letting her go. The young elf was still glaring at Ser Alief with murderous intent, practically trembling in Laurents arms with tension.

"Explain." She ordered in a stern voice.

"We were playing a game." Amara and Avaro stepped forward, the twins being the oldest in the group.

"It started out as a game of tag and then… uh, it became a magical snowball fight." Avaro rubbed the back of his neck with a hesitant smile. Karliah raised a brow.

"The templar dispelled our magic while we were playing." Amara continued where her brother left off. "And then things went to shit."

"Tara attacked him." Malcom stated, drawing Karliah's attention. "Not that she could actually hurt him without her magic. She was just pounding against the armor on his leg. Couldn't even dent it."

Karliah turned her gaze upon the girl in question, Tara shrinking under her observation. But her eyes continued to burn with anger, that fire flaring up into a vengeful expression as the girl watched Cullen approach them with Ser Alief in tow.

"Well, I think this was all just a misunderstanding." Cullen stated as Karliah shifted to watch him approach them. "But we should really talk about where it's appropriate to use magic –"

As if she had been waiting for the templar to come within reach, Tara suddenly broke through Laurent's hold and flew at Ser Alief once more, this time summoning roots out of the ground to smack the templar onto his back.

"Murderer!" She screamed, lifting her hand and bringing the root back down to slam into his chest. "Killers! All of you! Every one of you!"

Karliah snatched the elf's hand before she could bring the root back down on the templar, Ser Alief's chest plate already dented from the first two strikes. "Stop, _da'len_."

Tara hesitated, looking up into Karliah's eyes with pain evident in those deep blue orbs, brimming with tears and old hurts. Cullen and Ser Alief held their breath as the giant root hovered above the fallen templar, suspended like a snake coiled to strike.

" _Atisha._ " Karliah whispered, kneeling down next to Tara and pulling the little girl into her arms. Finally, Tara crumpled into tears, the root becoming limp and falling into the snow uselessly.

There was a tense moment where no one moved, the silence broken only by the sound of Tara's soft whimpers. At the soft crunch of snow Karliah turned to see Orphin approach them at a brisk walk, a worried look on his face as he glanced from the upturned root to the small elf tucked into Karliah's arms.

"Talk to her." Karliah murmured to him softly as she passed Tara into his arms. She looked back at the other young mages, jerking her head for them to follow Orphin back to camp.

When Cullen opened his mouth to object, Karliah sent him a harsh look to shut up. Ser Alief had risen to his feet, looking shaken at the power that the young girl had wielded. Only when the kids were out of hearing range did Karliah address the commander and his templar.

"We've spent almost two years fighting off templars! Living in fear with the knowledge that they could kill us at any moment!" Karliah's calm demeanor vanished in an instant as she rounded on the templars with barely contained rage. "Those children have watched templars slaughter their friends and family like cattle! We just came from a _war_ you _imbeciles!_ How do you _think_ they were going to react to your presence?"

Cullen looked conflicted, but Ser Alief merely scoffed at the woman's anger. "They are mages, and they must be –"

Karliah interrupted him with a bitter laugh. "You guys don't even see us as people, do you?" She sneered at the templar. "Your kind never bothered to see things from our perspective! As if these last few years weren't bad enough, some of us have been living in fear of templars our entire lives! Allow me to remind you that these are _children_ not _monsters_!"

She spun around to walk away, worried that if she did not put some distance between herself and the templars, Dawn would do something extreme.

 **Templars!** Dawn was hissing in her mind, pacing back and forth, clawing to get out and teach that man a lesson. **False protectors! We should kill them all!**

' _Calm yourself.'_ Karliah told the spirit. _'Now is not the time.'_

 **He wanted to hurt the children.** Dawn growled. **I could feel it. He wanted to hurt, crush, make them pay.**

Karliah frowned at that. She had hoped that the templars in the Inquisition would be of the good variety, rather than the bloodthirsty bastards that had hunted them in the Hinterlands.

"Karliah!"

' _Cullen? Wonderful…'_

 **You should punch him.** Dawn told her, snapping imaginary jaws with irritation. **I want to punch him.**

' _What – no!'_

She turned to face the commander with a displeased expression. "What do you want, commander?"

Cullen had followed her at a slight jog, slowly down to a brisk walk as he approached her. "I'm sorry about earlier. I'll speak to the Templars about back off."

Karliah ran her fingers through her hair, pushing back her bangs with a frustrated sigh as they fell right back into her face. The scar on her forehead always seemed to itch uncomfortably when she was near a templar. Cullen included. It put her on edge.

"Tara is eight years old." She informed him in a low tone. "She and her sister were Dalish, but humans killed her tribe two years ago, and sold her and her sister to the Templars since they had magic."

"They were _sold_ to the Templars?" Cullen interrupted in outrage.

Karliah nodded. "They were dragged to the Circle in the Halamshiral shortly before the war broke out. And when the towers fell, theirs erupted in chaos. Tara and her sister took the opportunity to escape – but a templar caught up to them. Her sister died holding off the templar while Tara got away."

Cullen shook his head sadly. "I… I don't know what to say…"

"This is why I wanted the templars to keep away from the mages." Karliah told him as she rubbed her bandaged forehead, looking tired. "Most of us ran away from the Circles for a reason. Otherwise they would have stayed, like the Circle of Montsimmard."

"I know that it's hard for the mages right now," He ignored the way she snorted at the obvious conclusion. "But we really are just trying to help. Can't you… What I mean to say is, we need you to meet us halfway. The mages have hardly interacted with anyone in Haven outside of a few servants."

Karliah faced him fully, crossing her arms and leaning her weight to one leg. "You know why were keep to ourselves? Because we know that people fear us." She shook her head. "That fear turns to anger and then they lash out. Like that templar of yours."

Cullen winced, but did not defend Ser Alief. He had seen the bruise forming on one of the boys, and knew that they were lucky that Karliah had not turned her anger upon Ser Alief right then and there.

"Most of the mages are from Circles too." Karliah continued. "So most of them have no idea how to interact with normal people. They've never been allowed to leave their towers before, and after the Circles fell, they found themselves living in a warzone. Not exactly the best time to practice social skills."

Cullen nearly chuckled at the thought of socially inept mages trying to talk with servants about magical theory and receiving only blank stares in return. He remembered such moments from his time in the Ferelden Circle – particularly when Amell tried to explain her research to him, and he just nodded his head pretending to understand words like 'veil wall' and 'temporal alignment'. He still felt a twinge of pain when he thought about his days in Ferelden, and quickly abandoned that train of thought before he could go any further.

"Is there any way we can begin a process of integration?" Cullen asked her.

"Perhaps. I would start with the older mages, however. The younger ones are still afraid of anyone outside the mages." Karliah paused, glancing over at where the mages had crowded around the fire, worried about the confrontation with the templar. "I should go smooth things out over there before tempers flare up again."

"Ironic coming from you." Cullen pointed out on the sly.

Karliah sent him an annoyed look before she rolled her eyes and walked away.

* * *

Unsurprisingly the incident with the Templars had stirred up unpleasant feelings within the mage group. The children did not even go close to the village for the next couple days, the enchanters became reclusive and cold towards outsiders, save one or two peasants that were not afraid to approach the magi for trade or medicine. Two days later Karliah and the Four Horsemen headed back to Ferelden to accompany the Herald in his negotiations with the Rebellion faction, leaving Rosier in charge of Ramu Spiritus.

A human boy and an elven girl remained at the bridge to Haven for a long time after they had bid Lady Karliah goodbye, watching as the snow fell gently to the ground, eventually melting and covering up their tracks in the snow. It was cold, but they barely registered the temperature.

Malcom was tall and lanky, barely a teenager but already hardened by the war, brown eyes nearly black with the shadows of suspicion and anger that lingered in his expression. He had olive skin and brown hair, cropped short and uneven, a scar running from his ear to his jaw from a templar's blade. His body was wired with lean muscle that burned up energy faster than he could eat it, dressed in basic battlemage armor that was too large for his frame, even though Karliah often protested that he was too young to be dressing for war.

Tara barely reached his shoulder, several years younger than him but was also forced to grow up too fast by the war. She was a short and willowy, typical of a young elf. Her ears were thin and long, poking out of a head of messy black hair, her eyes pale green but just as shadowed. She usually dressed in a plain beige tunic and dark stockings, a too-big cloak thrown over her narrow shoulders, her boots worn and falling apart from years spent on the run. Her face was too narrow, even for an elf, a clear indication of malnutrition caused by the food shortages in the past year, her skin so pale that it nearly matched the snow in pallor.

"We should go back." Tara murmured softly, shifting uncomfortably at the feeling of eyes watching them, glancing at the Inquisition soldiers eyeing them from the bridge gates.

"Yeah." Malcom grunted as they turned around and began to walk back to the camp outside of Haven. Crossing the bridge, down the hill, past the blacksmith, they were shoulder-to-shoulder, Malcom putting his arm around the elf when she shivered.

"How are you since… well…" Malcom started awkwardly.

"The templar?" Tara sneered at the title before patting his hand. "I'm fine. Just wish I had been strong enough to hurt the bastard."

The human boy snickered. "Well you dented his armor. And you certainly hurt his pride."

"I wish I was as strong as Lady Karliah. Or Lady Shanelle." Tara sighed in disappointment. The girl hero-worshiped the older enchantresses. "I could just –" She raised her hand and made a fist, " – strangle those Templars with a wave of my hand, or have my roots drag them into the ground where they belong."

Malcom nodded, a self-deprecating look on his face. "I was so useless against the Templar. After he dispelled our magic… what could I do? Nothing!" He clenched his hands into fists and grit his teeth.

"Then learn how to use a sword." Tara said with a shrug. "You know Karliah and several other enchanters keep daggers on them, just in case. And have you seen Karliah's staff? That thing is a weapon, not just a conductor."

But mage children did not usually get a staff until the start of their apprenticeship, and even though Malcom was of age, the fall of the Circles meant that he never had the chance to begin one. He made a note to speak with Hadir about that, surely the former First Enchanter could make an exception for him.

"You should get some new shoes." Malcom told her after a few minutes of comfortable silence, glancing down at how the snow soaked her dilapidated boots. "You'll get frostbite like that."

"No money." Tara muttered.

"You know the teachers would take care of that for you." Malcom pointed out.

She shook her head. "We need the money for food and blankets. And Neera mentioned that they are out of potion flasks again because of the demand for medical supplies from the army."

"A new pair of boots won't change that." The boy said.

"But –"

"You know what, I'll buy it." Malcom huffed as he grabbed her arm and steered her towards the entrance to Haven, reaching into his tunic and pulling out a small coin purse.

"Where did you even get the money?" Tara asked in shock. The human just winked back at her. The thief.

The only merchant in Haven was that racist bastard Seggrit, so Tara hung back as Malcom approached him. Malcom was an old miser trapped in the body of a boy, more covetous of his coin than a dragon was of its gold. He and Seggrit soon fell into a steady back-and-forth struggle over the price, bartering like old women at the market. Unsurprisingly, Seggrit's starting price was wildly overpriced, and Malcom nearly laughed in his face. Only the prospect of selling more wares seemed to convince the man to lower the price and offer a deal, and eventually Malcom walked away with a pair of boots and a small dagger with proper belt to sheath it in.

"How'd you get all that?" Tara blinked as Malcom ushered out of Seggrit's sight before offering her the new boots.

"I told him if he offered me a fair deal I'd be open to buying more from him than just a pair of shoes." Malcom shrugged, though Tara had a feeling there were probably a few more expletives that her human friend had left out for her sake.

They sat down on a bench outside of the tavern as Tara pulled off her old boots, Malcom making a dramatic show of sniffing them and fainting at the stench. Tara giggled at his antics as he threw the nasty footwear into the bushes.

"Let me see your feet." He ordered her.

"I can put my shoes on just fine." Tara huffed at him, but did as he said regardless.

They fell into companionable silence as Malcom tugged the boots over her ratty socks and began to lace them up. Tara couldn't help but wonder if he had a sister too, before the Circle had torn him away from his family. He was always playing the big brother to everyone, even if he wasn't the oldest in their group. It reminded her of the way her sister had protected her in the Circle, always worried about Tara even when it was her that the Templars were hurting. Malcom was hurting too, but he never talked about his past. All she knew was that Karliah had found him near Lake Calenhad after the Ferelden Circle broke away, though she heard that the Templars in Ferelden had been awful since the incident during the Blight.

When Malcom was finished they stayed that way for a while, her legs in his lap as she rest her head on his shoulder, his hand on her back and the other resting on her new boots.

"I miss my sister." Tara whispered, memories of blood and magic flashing through her mind, the templar's blade raised, her sister's body falling as fire surrounded them. "I miss my clan."

Malcom just patted her on the back, unable to voice his own hurts.

"Wow, I can taste the broodiness from here."

They both jumped up at the new voice, a blonde dwarf standing in front of them with his arms crossed and a curious expression.

On instinct, Malcom stepped in front of Tara and the girl fell back into a flanking position. The older dwarf lifted a brow at their actions, surprised and more than a little concerned.

"We're orphans." Malcom half-lied. "Nothing more."

They saw him eye Malcom's battlemage armor, which was really nothing more than an enchanted coat, but the dwarf seemed to dismiss it a moment later. "I'm Varric Tethras, at your service. You kids lost or something?"

Neither of the kids had ever met a dwarf before; they weren't exactly common in the Circles and the Dalish rarely encountered dwarves unless they happened upon a trading caravan. Sure they had _seen_ dwarves before, at a distance, but none of them had ever been up close to one. It was strange to feel the negative energy emanating from the man, completely devoid of magic and immune to even the residual effects of magic that some humans and elves carried regardless of whether they had the gift.

"You feel weird." Tara blurted out without thinking, immediately wincing as Malcom elbowed her.

Ser Varric raised his brows at her. "Excuse me?"

"Apologies, messere." Malcom quickly interjected. "It's just… we've never met a dwarf before."

"Really?" The dwarf seemed both surprised and amused now.

"You feel different from elves or humans." Tara tried to explain her blunder. "Both of these races have an affinity for magic. But yours doesn't. And it shows in your aura."

"Tara!" Malcom hissed over his shoulder. She shouldn't mention her magic so easily, especially when they were in public!

"Relax kids." Varric chuckled. "I know mages when I see 'em. And don't worry, I probably have more apostate friends than normal friends."

The kids froze when he called them out on their abilities, looking like deer caught in a hunter's sights. The boy narrowed his eyes and shifted into a battle stance while the girl stepped back and hid her hands behind her back.

"Quiet!" Malcom snapped at the dwarf, eyes darting around them. "Someone might hear you!"

Varric chuckled, a little confused at the boy's reaction. "Relax kid, everyone knows about the mages living outside the walls."

"Yeah, but they don't know what we look like." Malcom hissed. "Not everyone in Haven likes us, you know."

"I highly doubt they'll act on it with the Herald clearly in favor of the mages." Varric pointed out.

"We aren't willing to take that chance." The dwarf seemed surprised by the hardened expression on the little elf's face, Tara glaring up at the dwarf defensively. "We can't afford to trust these people."

Varric's eyebrows rose even higher and idly wondered if Broody ever sired a child before he came to Kirkwall. Her eyes held the same amount of barely-contained hatred and mistrust as the elven warrior, though she was certainly lacking in height.

"Er, how old are you kids?" He asked the kids.

"Thirteen."

"Eight."

Varric nearly choked. They looked far too old and weary to be that old. And _eight_? The elven girl was far too young to be talking like an experienced veteran.

"We should head back to camp." Tara murmured at Malcom's side. "I don't like being in the village for too long."

Malcom nodded in agreement, taking a moment to dip his head in the direction of the dwarf. "Nice to meet you." He muttered.

They walked away quickly, shoulders nearly touching as they stayed close together, avoiding almost everyone that passed them by, as if the touch of an outsider would set them on fire. Despite lacking in height, Varric recognized the way their heads turned every few seconds, noting the position of every person around them, eyeing the soldiers with caution, shoulders tense. It was the same way Broody or Blondie would walk sometimes, ears perked for the sound of footsteps, ready to bolt at the first sign of their hunters. They were like cornered animals, skittish but feral.

They were only children.

Varric shook his head sadly and glanced at the sky. "See what you've done, Blondie?"

* * *

 **Please leave a review! If you don't, no one else will! And they really do fuel my imagination!**


	8. Chapter 8 - Twisting Fate

**Another chapter up! Still working on the other stories, but right now none of my attempts at writing are turning out how I want it. Whenever I try to pick up where I left off with DCH or my Avengers story... Writer's block. Ugh. I've probably written three different versions of the next chapter for Vera's story (Avengers).**

 **Anyway. As long as I keep writing _something_ I won't worry about it too much. Just gotta keep the creative juices flowing.**

 **STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIES**

* * *

Two days later Karliah found herself back in Redcliffe, once again renting a room in the Gull and Lantern, this time with all Four Horsemen in tow. The plan was for the Herald and his companions to act as a distraction while Leliana's agents snuck into through a tunnel, and the White Witch and her Horsemen snuck in through the servant's entrance.

Cedric would be facing down the Tevinter magister himself, and as much as Karliah wished that she could be there with him, she knew that she was needed elsewhere. The rest of the mages of the Rebellion was restricted to the guest wing, and Karliah and her companions were to kill the Tevinter guards and reassure the mages that the Inquisition was there to help them.

 **The Fade has changed here.** Dawn told her as they walked up to the castle. **Unnatural magic. Do you have to go in there? I don't like it.**

' _Hush, my spirit.'_ Karliah reassured Dawn.

"What's up?" Shanelle asked Karliah softly, noticing her eyes flashing silver. "Dawn sense something?"

Karliah nodded. "The Fade is wrong here. Someone has been messing with dangerous magic. It has warped the Fade."

"Never a good sign." Micah quipped with a short laugh.

"Guards ahead." Orphin notified them as they went around the main gate and approached the entrance to the servant's quarters.

They slowed down to allow Hadir to take the lead. The elder mage murmured under his breath, his magic heavy in the air and making their hairs stand on end. The guards by the nondescript door looked up at their approach, only to be caught in Hadir's dark gaze.

" _Dream._ " Hadir commanded, his voice layered with magic, and their eyes glazed over as they stared blindly into the distance.

The mages walked past the guards, careful not to touch them and disturb the illusion that Hadir had planted into their heads. When the dream wore off, the guards would think that no one had passed by during their shift. As easy as it would have been to simply kill them, the mages could not take the risk that someone would notice the missing guards.

Once inside Hadir continued to cast illusions upon the kitchen staff and other servants that happened upon them while they made their way to the second floor. Once they had entered the top level Hadir drew a ward on the door to the stairwell, ensuring that no one could escape or follow them.

They stood at the end of the hallway, earning the attention of the guards standing outside the bedroom doors. Looked like the mages were already experiencing what their future would be like under the Tevinters, trapped in their rooms unless they were needed.

"Hey! Who are you!?" One of the guards demanded.

"Kill them all." Karliah sighed and rolled her shoulders. "But keep it quiet."

The air lit up with fire and blood and the forces of gravity. Micah and Shanelle shared shit-eating grins as they made the guards gurgle on their own blood or suffocate by an invisible hand. Hadir caught a few of them in a sleeping spell, while Orphin shifted into a spider and poisoned them.

The hall was littered with bodies when they finished, Karliah stepping daintily over the bodies as she approached the end of the hall, leaving Micah to levitate the bodies into a pile at the end of the hall.

Knocking politely on the door, she was surprised when a familiar face peaked out through the crack in the door, but not the one she was hoping for.

"Delila?"

"Karliah?!" Fiona's third in command yelped in surprise at the sight of the White Witch. "What are you doing here? You can't be here! It's dangerous! The Tevinters –" Delila trailed off as she caught sight of the pile of bodies at the end of the hall. "Oh."

"Took the liberty of cleaning out the place for you." Karliah quirked a brow. "Hope you don't mind."

The Antivan mage chuckled. "Not at all." She opened up the door fully, revealing a dull room with only the bare essentials. "Thank the Maker you are here! You were right about the magister!"

"I'm always right, hun." Karliah said dryly.

"He's playing around with strange magic. We can all feel it when he practices, and it feels _wrong._ " Delilah shivered as she recalled the feeling.

"That's why we're here to get you guys out." Karliah told her.

Delila glanced at the pile of dead guards. "But there are more of them! Magister Alexius wields a power I cannot even fathom! You will die –"

"We didn't come here alone, Delila." Karliah assured her. "We have back up. Now, where is Fiona?"

"Downstairs, in the throne room." The lieutenant looked worried. "He's kept her there every day, to ensure that she does not plan an escape. The other lieutenants seem to go to him willingly."

Karliah sighed, remembering the strange magic affecting some of them when they had first come to Redcliffe. "Spies. Of course."

"You think they worked for Tevinter?" Delila raised her brows.

Karliah nodded. "They infiltrated the Rebellion, I believe, and used a form of persuasion magic to affect our leaders."

"Then why weren't you affected?" Delila asked.

Karliah just winked at her. "I'm special. Anyway, go gather the other mages. We need to get downstairs while the magister is occupied."

"You mean you're not the one taking down that bastard?" Delila looked concerned, probably expecting the powerful team of mages to be the ones to confront Alexius.

"Do not worry." Karliah patted her shoulder. "The Herald can handle himself."

Delila blinked. "The… who?"

They began knocking on all the doors, most of the mages relieved to see their Tevinter wardens gone, eager to escape the castle they had been trapped in for weeks. They remained upstairs while Karliah led her team downstairs to begin whittling down the Tevinter forces, hall by hall they went, Hadir blocking off escape routes and the rest killing the men before they had a chance to raise an alarm. Soon only the main hall remained, and the rest of the mages in the Rebellion began filing out through the servant's entrance while others stayed behind to wait for word on the Grand Enchantress.

Karliah was leaning against the main door, the others loitering in the foyer as they waited for some sort of signal that meant that the Herald had won.

 **Karliah!**

The world tipped and swirled, her eyes glowing silver as Dawn took over her vision and forced her to look in the direction of the throne room. Instead of closed doors, she saw the empty expanse of the Fade, save for something resembling a room, with floating tables and mugs, a lute playing on its own and –

' _Another Fade tear.'_ Karliah realized with alarm. And it was placed in the center of where the throne room had been.

Dawn was next to her, the dragon curling its tail around her body and cupping her back with its wing. **Something's wrong! This magic is tearing the fabric of reality!**

Karliah could see the Fade strain under the pressure, pulled in different directions, stretching and fraying at the seams. Images flashed before her eyes, strange, horrifying, incomprehensible.

– _The clouds glowed green as the Breach grew, devouring the world, the tear in the Fade stretching outwards, reaching, reaching, reaching, hungry for more –_

– _Red lyrium was everywhere, reaching up from the ground, from the walls, even causing her to retch as she watch a shadowy figure implant a red seed into one of Cedric's friends, the Seeker woman, and it began to grow, grow, grow, tainting her blood and bursting forth from beneath her skin –_

– _Cedric and another mage were in the castle dungeons, but it was overflowing with water –_

– _Running through the castle, everything was dilapidated, why was it abandoned? What was happening? –_

– _He had found his companions, but they were dying, red poison in their veins, eyes glowing with death, bodies starved and diseased, Leliana was broken, dying, consumed by rage and hatreds –_

– _Demons were roaming the world freely, hordes of them charging at Cedric and his friends as they charged into the main hall, only to see the man Karliah guessed was the magister and the other mage holds up an amulet, shaking it in his hand with an angry snarl on his face –_

– _The demons were coming through the hall now, Cedric and the other mage standing close as he fiddled with the amulet, but the others remained behind, fighting against the rising tide of demons, and the air ripples, pushes, pulls, twists –_

.

.

.

 **Karliah! Karliah!** A voice calls to her but she's lost…

.

.

 **Karliah!** The voice is louder, more insistent. **Wake! Up!**

Karliah gasps as she falls to her knees, cradling her head in her hands at the sudden onslaught of images being shoved into her mind.

"Karliah!"

She hears Micah exclaim and her Horsemen surround her.

 **It was changed. Something has changed.** Dawn was just as confused as her, the spirit shifting in her head, folding and twisting nervously. **Time. They touched Fate herself and changed her mind. They have reshaped reality.**

Dawn sounded almost panicked, a vague feeling of distress echoing in her head. **Can they do that? Can they do that? Is that allowed?**

For a spirit, it was the equivalent of a human biting their nails off nervously and pacing the entire length of the main hall, or perhaps screaming their head off. Whatever had just happened, it had the spirits terrified, and more than a few voices were screaming across the expanse of the Fade, disturbed at whatever magic had just occurred in the throne room.

Karliah lurched to her feet, shaking her head as she struggled to ground herself in the physical world, tugging her mind away from the Fade.

"Karliah?" She heard Orphin call out to her.

"Cedric!" Karliah gasped as she spun around and practically kicked the doors down in her panic, the doors splintering as her magic blasted them open just in time to see Cedric's form flicker into existence upon the dais, in the exact same position as that vision she had seen.

"What the –" The Herald's companions spun around to look at her, then back at the dais, conflicted as to who to watch.

"You'll have to do better than that!" A tanned man with a moustache and Tevinter accent quipped at the magister as Alexius fell to his knees in defeat.

"You're done, Alexius." Cedric stated, a dark look in his eye, more pissed off than Karliah had even seen before.

The magister sighed dejectedly, falling to his knees. "You won. There is no point extending this charade."

"Well, glad that's over with." The other Tevinter hummed.

Karliah raced past the others, ignoring as the Inquisition agents began to cuff Alexius in irons. She scrambled up the stairs and grabbed both of Cedric's cheeks.

"What the – _ow!_ Karliah! Ow!"

She was manhandling the Herald of Andraste, patting his face, then his arms, then his torso, as if to ensure that he was really there, that he was alive and real.

"What the _fuck_ happened?" Karliah snarled finally, words pouring from her mouth uncontrollably. "I _felt_ that! Whatever _that_ was! Dawn was freaking out! What the _fuck_ did you do? Do you realize that whatever it is just echoed across the entire expanse of the fade?! All the spirits felt it! Something changed! Everything changed!"

"Kar-" Cedric tried to interrupt. "Karli, Karli, _Karliah!_ "

She paused, finally, sucking in a large breath of air.

"You have the most interesting friends." The mage with the Tevinter accent murmured next to him, eyeing her with cautious curiosity.

"Cedric, I saw…" Karliah shook her head, unable to find the words.

She was interrupted as the doors burst open again, a small contingent of soldiers marching in to line the room and stand at attention as a man walked in.

' _Oh.'_ Karliah blinked, recognizing his face. _'Shit.'_

The King of Ferelden looked very, very pissed.

"Or not…" Cedric's latest companion muttered.

"Grand Enchanter." King Alistair drawled with a rather displeased expression. "Imagine how surprised I was to learn you'd given Redcliffe Castle away to a Tevinter magister."

Micah had the gall to give a low whistle from the back of the room, earning a slap in the back of the head from Hadir.

"King Alistair!" Fiona practically squeaked.

"Especially since I'm fairly sure Redcliffe belongs to Arl Teagan."

The Grand Enchanter winced. "Your Majesty, we never intended…"

"I know what you intended." The king interrupted, looking sympathetic for a moment, but then his expression hardened. "I wanted to help you. But you've made it impossible. You and your followers are no longer welcome in Ferelden."

"But –!" Fiona shook her head regretfully. "We have hundreds who need protection! Where will we go?"

Cedric stepped away from Karliah's fussing to address the Grand Enchanter. "The Inquisition still has need for mages to help close the Breach."

"And what are the terms of this arrangement?" Fiona asked him suspiciously.

"Oh _now_ you start asking for the terms." Karliah drawled, earning the attention of her former commander. Her silver eyes flashed accusingly at Fiona, the elf quickly averting her gaze.

"Hopefully better than what Alexius gave you. The Inquisition _is_ better than that, yes?" The other Tevinter cut in.

"I suggest conscripting them." The Seeker spoke up. "They've proven what they'll do given too much freedom."

But the other shield warrior, who she would later learn was a Grey Warden named Blackwall, shook his head. "Bad idea. No one fights well for their captors. If we want their loyalty, we have show trust in them as well."

Cedric glanced at Karliah, but the witch crossed her arms and shook her head. "The Rebellion has made a grave mistake, Trevelyan. They are not like Ramus Spiritus. Give them fair punishment."

Fiona's eyes turned to her old friend filled with regret. Karliah kept her eyes firmly locked with Cedric.

"It seems we have no choice but to accept whatever you offer." The enchantress said stiffly.

"I would rather have you allies." The Herald told her. "Fight at the Inquisition's side. Redeem yourselves in the eyes of Thedas."

Both Karliah and Cassandra frowned, Karliah because she felt that the Rebellion was getting off too easily, while the Seeker was not approving of the freedom that the Herald was extending to the mages.

"I'll pray that the rest of the Inquisition honors your promise, then." Fiona said.

"Just be thankful that you are not being punished as you should be." Karliah snapped, earning an exasperated glance from Cedric and a surprised but approving look from Cassandra. "You betrayed the trust of your own people, Fiona. The Inquisition owes you nothing."

"The Breach threatens all of Thedas. We cannot afford to be divided now." Cedric stated, looking pointedly between the bickering enchantresses. "We can't fight it without you. Any chance of success requires your full support."

Karliah kept her mouth shut, but the look she sent Fiona promised that they would be speaking of this later, and it would not be a friendly conversation.

"I'd take that offer, if I were you." King Alistair warned Fiona. "One way or another, you're leaving my kingdom."

Fiona looked down at the floor in defeat. "We accept. It would be madness not to."

' _No duh.'_ Karliah thought grumpily.

"I will gather my people and ready them for the journey to Haven. The Breach will be closed; you will not regret giving us this chance." Fiona assured the Herald, feeling the burn of Karliah's glare against her back.

"Let us hope not..." The witch muttered.

* * *

The Inquisition traveled alongside the White Witch and her Four Horsemen back to Haven, Karliah stewing in silence for several hours before Cedric had the courage to speak to her. She was happy that the mages of the Rebellion had been prevented from making a grave mistake, but she wasn't sure if she was satisfied with their deal with the Inquisition. Sure, she knew that there were a few outside influences that had pushed Fiona into allying with Tevinter, but it was only a persuasion spell, meant to nudge her in the right direction. If Fiona was truly against a deal with Tevinter, the spell should not have affected her so easily.

Was she angry that Fiona was weak enough to bend to the will of a simple spell? Or was she angry that her words had not been enough to snap her out of it? Should she have done more to stop them?

 **No.** Dawn disagreed. **You would have been deemed a threat by the Tevene and end up dead or imprisoned until they could ship you back to Tevinter.**

Well, the spirit had a point.

There was also the feeling of betrayal gnawing at her insides. Fiona had trusted her, they had been allies, perhaps even friends. But she had not listened to Karliah when it mattered most. The near-disaster with Tevinter would have branded every mage in Thedas as a traitor, more so than they already were, at least. Fiona had stopped acting for the good of the mages, and fallen into desperation. She risked the lives of the hundreds of mages under her care, nearly shipping them off to Tevinter to end up on the wrong side of a slave auction.

Karliah did know if she wanted to tear out her hair or tear out Fiona's hair.

"Um, Karli?"  
Only one idiot had the gall to call her by that name. "Cedric?"

She turned in the saddle to see the Herald pulled up next to her on his horse, looking over his shoulder to ensure that the rest of their companions were out of hearing distance.

"Are you… okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine."

"Suuure…" Cedric drawled, raising an eyebrow. "What happened back at the castle? And what's your problem with Fiona?"

"The first incident should not be discussed in the open." Karliah muttered, inwardly wincing at her panicked display after Cedric had fallen through the fabric of time. "But Fiona…" She sighed and shook her head. "I trusted her, Cedric. We all trusted her. But her actions in Redcliffe undermined everything she spoke of. She nearly sold all those mages into servitude, and would have branded every mage in Thedas a traitor."

Karliah rubbed her forehead, feeling frustrated. Cedric's eyes flickered curiously over the bandages there, but thankfully he did not ask about them. A few more minutes of silence passed between them before Cedric spoke again.

"So," He hummed, "You became an apostate, huh? And joined the mage underground; sounds exciting!"

"It's not as exciting as it sounds." Karliah chuckled dryly. "It's a lot of dirty sewers and tunnels, dealing with emotionally wrecked mages, keeping in contact with people across the country without being tracked down by the Templars." A sad look crossed her face. "Things were pretty dire in the Free Marches. I had no idea until I left the tower. Ostwick had a lot of problems, don't get me wrong, but Kirkwall?" She let out a low whistle. "That place was fucked even before the explosion."

"Oh?" Cedric raised his brows curiously.

"There was one templar that wanted to simply kill all the mages. Get rid of the problem rather than dealing with it." She remembered the records of Tranquil piling high in Kirkwall, the apostates working with her panicking at the thought of widespread Tranquility without oversight. "He called it the 'Tranquil Solution'. Regardless of whether you passed your harrowing, every mage would be nullified." *****

Cedric gulped as his skin went pale.

"The motion was rejected by the Divine, thankfully," Karliah's expression grew dark. "But that didn't stop him. The crazy guy continued to secretly use the brand on several apprentices before the Champion managed to stop him."

"That's… that's awful." Cedric said softly, his eyes flickering to her forehead again.

"No, he didn't get me." Karliah replied to his silent question. "This… is something else." She gave him a look that told him not to ask. Some stories were not meant to be said in the open. "How were things for you?"

Cedric grinned as the conversation shifted to him. "Did you hear that Conrad chose me as his apprentice?"

Karliah barked out a laugh. "Seriously? Did he hit his head or something?"

"Hey, I'm a pretty good mage. I haven't set anything on fire by accident in years!" Cedric smirked.

"Yeah, but you've always been a pain in the ass." Karliah said dryly. "You never concentrated in classes, always argued with your teachers, and spent more time chasing skirts than studying. I'm amazed you even passed our first year."

"He said I had talent." The Herald winked. "Said I was smart and powerful, I just need to apply myself."

Karliah snorted. "The trick is to actually get you to."

"Well I did!" Cedric stuck his tongue out at her. "First Enchanter Cedric! Nifty title, huh?"

"You're the Herald of Andraste now." Karliah pointed out. "You can't become the First Enchanter now."

Cedric blinked, then looked away. "Ah shit. You're right."

He tried to act casual, but the tension in his shoulders gave him away. Karliah sighed as silence reigned for a few more seconds before she asked, "How have you been coping?"

The Herald leaned forward and rested his head on the horse's neck with a groan. "It _sucks_. They want me to be this symbol for peace and unity, some holy figure. Well _fuck_ that. Everyone knows I ain't some saint."

"Yeah. You're a sex addict."

He lifted his head from the horse to glare at her. "That hurt, Karliah."

"The truth usually does." She drawled.

He made a dramatic motion clutching his heart and fainting across the shoulders of the horse, the animal snorting at his unusually lively rider.

"For your information, I've only had two girls since the tower fell." Cedric informed her. "No one gets in the mood with Templars on our trail."

Karliah sighed. "It's sad when two girls are your dry season."

"'Cause they're never dry when I'm around." He wriggled his brows, causing her to zap him with a small wave of frost that froze his eyebrows. "Hey!"

"You're disgusting." She stated, but her expression was amused.

They continued to talk about the old days until dusk fell. The Seeker had sent scouts ahead to secure a campsite, and then night had fallen and they were all crawling into their bedrolls. Cedric seemed happier after speaking with her, and Karliah had to admit, it was nice speaking to someone from her past, from a time before everything was filled with pain.

Despite what she had said to Cedric, she had always known he was a leader, if the trouble they and their friends had gotten into back in Ostwick was anything to go by. He had the aura and charisma of a noble, always knowing just when to make a joke and stroke an ego. Cedric was a manipulative bastard, from convincing the cook to give them extra cookies to persuading their professor to move the test back a week. His crass sense of humor notwithstanding, Cedric was a wonderful young man. He was loyal to a fault when it came to his closest friends, and had a stubborn determination that refused to let anyone tell him his limits.

She crawled into her bedroll that right across the fire from the Inquisition agents, sandwiched between her Four Horsemen. Two more days and they would be back in Haven. No doubt Cedric was already planning on how to seal the Breach.

 **Can't wait until that thing is gone.** Dawn grumbled as it met her in the Fade and curled its draconic body around her. **It sings such a horrid song.**

Taking a moment to glance at the hole in the Fade, Karliah nodded in agreement. _'Do you think it will be safe for us to join the spell to close the Breach?'_ She asked Dawn. _'I know you don't like being close to it. And it's dangerous for spirits who draw near.'_

 **We will have to check when we get back. See how far we can get to the Breach before I can't take anymore.** Dawn mused.

' _Just remember not to push yourself.'_ She warned the spirit. _'I can't lose you.'_

The spirit dragon nuzzled her head. **I'm not going anywhere.**

* * *

 ***'The Tranquil Solution'** \- For those of you that did not play DA2, there was actually a templar that Hawke encounters that was illegally kidnapping mages from the Circle and turning them Tranquil. And it is implied that he did... inappropriate things with some of the girls. *shudders*

 **We will return to see Haven next, and finally get a peek into Cullen's POV!**

 **Also, Karliah starts a fight ;)**


	9. Chapter 9 - A Gauntlet is Thrown

**While the Herald & Co. have been out trying to save the world, problems in Haven continue to fester...**

 **STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIES**

* * *

The village of Haven was still on edge when the group returned from Redcliffe. Karliah almost forgot about the problems with the Templars until they were crossing the bridge into Haven. As she informed Cedric and Cassandra of the situation, a new problem arose – that of the impending arrival of the Mage Rebellion. Things were already tense with just a small mage group living among the Inquisition. How would they integrate an entire army of magi?

As if Karliah's life wasn't already complicated enough.

After her and the horsemen had settled back into the camp they realized that the mages had only withdrawn further from the general population, rather than make amends. The mage professors had begun holding their classes in the woods _across the goddamn lake_ to make sure the Templars kept their distance; terrified students did not pay attention to their lessons after all. Karliah noticed that morning meditations lasted longer as her students struggled to push away their temptations born of fear and anger. Even interactions with the ordinary soldiers were tense, and those mages that had been interacting with the common folk suddenly stopped going into Haven.

The incident with the Templars had brought the memories of the Circle abuses back to the fore, and in startling clarity. The magi began to worry that the Templars would begin oppressing them again, that they would try to reinstate Templar control in the camp, and that the Inquisition would hand them back over to the Chantry when the Breach was sealed. This fear soon turned into barely-contained aggression, biting words and accusing looks. She could see it in the lines of their shoulders, the hard look in their eyes, the fight or flight instinct on standby, one wrong move and something would be going up in flames.

"Did I make a mistake?" Karliah asked Shanelle a few days after they had returned from Redcliffe. They were walking along the edge of the frozen lake in front of Haven's gate, rounding towards the bridge and away from the village. She lazily twirled her staff in controlled circles, taking the edge off of her nerves by keeping part of her mind occupied with the physical movement.

"I… I can't really say." Shanelle answered honestly, her hands shoved deep into the Circle robes she had acquired from a merchant. The Rivaini hated anything that had to do with the Circle, but the robe was padded with wool and far warmer than the thin tunic she had usually worn in the Hinterlands. "I'll admit, I don't like being here. But Ramu Spiritu sorely needed the support. We were growing too large to avoid notice of the rogue Templars, and food and supplies were becoming scarce. I understand why you did it… I just wish there had been another option."

Karliah's expression was unreadable as she listened to the words of her friend and confidant. Dawn was silent inside her head; the spirit knew that it had no good advice to give on the matter.

"Dawn could sense the bloodlust from Ser Alief, the templar that attacked the kids. He hates mages. He wanted to make them cry. For fun." Karliah told Shanelle, her words growing bitter.

Shanelle's face grew dark as she scowled. "Of course he did. Fuckin' templar."

"It's hard to play peace-keeper when I hate them _so damn much_." The witch spat. "When I saw the bruise on Malcom's face… I wanted to _kill_ that templar. I wanted to make him _hurt_."

Her hands gripped the staff until her knuckles were white and she sunk into a crouch on the lakeshore, leaning her forehead against the cold lyrium-infused metal. Her shoulders began to shake. "They just… they don't even see us as humans! They'll slaughter even children like cattle simply because we have magic!" Karliah squeezed her eyes together and ground her teeth. "Those damn Templars treat us like animals! But no, _we_ are the criminals!"

Shanelle remained silent as the other mage vented, placing a calming hand on Karliah's shoulder as the woman struggled to control her anger.

"In my time with the mage underground, I've seen Templars commit atrocities and get away with it simply because it's easier just to blame mages! Rape and torture and the brand…" The ground around Karliah burst into flames, quickly melting the snow and ice around them, only to be swiftly snuffed out with a wave of Shanelle's hand.

"They might as well kill us as babes." Karliah growled as she remembered a templar that had done just that, a monster of a man from the Spire that was quietly killing the children born from mages in the Circle until the mage underground caught wind of him.

Karliah and several others had kidnapped him and dragged him off into the night. Then they had introduced him to two women – mages, mothers, victims of his hate, who had watched him rip their babies from their arms. Another mage was also in attendance that night – an apostate, a father to be, who had watched the templar cut his beloved in half, open up her body and rip the fetus right out of the womb. Whether the Chantry or the Order was aware of the man's activities did not matter. They were responsible for keeping the Templars in check, and in their failure, they too were guilty of his crimes. Karliah had watched without remorse as the grieving and bereft parents turned their pain into anger. The templar had burned, been healed, and then burned again. It was a wonder that he had been granted death at all.

The memories of that templar made the air around her crackle with static, sparks jumping in the air. Shanelle hardly flinched, knowing that even if they touched her, they would barely hurt.

' _If it had been one of my children…'_ One of Karliah's hands absently rubbed her belly. _'Death would have been too kind.'_

Not that she would ever have children. She couldn't stand being touched, and the thought of being… _intimate_ with a man ever again made her stomach churn and nausea clog her throat. The casual touch of her closest friends was still pushing the boundaries of her self-restraint. Shanelle and Micah were the only ones that would touch her casually, and even they limited themselves with how often they would push her boundaries.

The students were enough for her.

 **But you love children.** Dawn was confused. **You always wanted a child.**

' _Stop digging through my memories.'_ Karliah snapped, unusually terse with the spirit. _'It's not going to happen. Ever.'_

 **Oh. I see.** Dawn hummed, a vague feeling of sorrow and apology washing through her head. The spirit likely skimmed her reasoning from her thoughts, and was well aware of how much she hated dwelling on the past.

A long silence stretched between her and Shanelle as Karliah wrestled for control of her thoughts and emotions, slowing her breathing and reining in her magic. Shanelle was patient, knowing that words would be no comfort. Her presence would be enough for the White Witch. Besides, Karliah deserved to let go every once in a while. The withdrawn leader of the Ramu Spiritu had a will forged from steel, the constant threat of the Templars ever finding out about the spirit possessing her and the small chance that she might become an abomination shaping her into a woman of unusual severity. Shanelle often forgot that Karliah was still quite young, in her twenties at best. Sometimes she seemed as old as Orphin, or Hadir.

"Let's get back to Haven." Shanelle's voice broke their reveries, briefly squeezing Karliah's shoulder before letting her hand fall back to her side.

"No doubt Micah's causing trouble without me there to stop him." The Rivaini chuckled as Karliah stood to her full height and exhaled heavily.

"Thank you for listening." Karliah murmured as they turned to walk back the way that they came.

Shanelle sent her a small smile. "This is our fight. And every mage that comes after us. You are not alone."

 **Quite literally.** The spirit inside her laughed.

* * *

 **Cullen's POV**

He noticed the two witches returning from their walk as he had been observing the training yard, Karliah's snow white hair practically glowing in the sun. The Rivaini woman next to her was the physical opposite of Madame Vivienne, short and curvy, but just as cold and calculating. When the darker woman smiled at him, it was felt like a stiletto sliding between his ribs. His templar senses could tell that she practiced dark magic, but so far, he had seen no evidence of it.

Karliah was… an oddity.

It was clear from her appearance that she was different. Fade-touched, as he had once learned in his time at the Ferelden Circle. Cullen could feel her magic swirling around her with a tune far different than any other mage he had ever met… save Anders. And Maker, was that a terrifying comparison.

That was why he watched her so closely, or so he told himself. Keeping an eye on a potential threat… A threat that also happened to be a very beautiful woman. (What? He was a hot-blooded male. He had _eyes_.)

Cullen had watched from Haven's battlements as she sparred with the other mages every morning, grace and power in every move as she spun her staff and danced out of the way of oncoming spells and blades with practiced ease. The witch had an obvious preference for primal magic, and wielded the elements with such ease that it would have been terrifying to a lesser man, Templar or not.

She was a fierce warrior, and clearly experienced from what he had seen. Karliah moved with the confidence of a veteran, instinctive reflexes dodging and weaving through attacks without interrupting her own spellcasting. She paired spellwork with physical attacks more often than Circle-taught mages, avoiding mistakes that most mages made against Templars – when faced with a shield, she rained her spells down from above, rather than fruitlessly attack the shielded front. She would Fade-step close to her target to surprise them with a physical attack, then disappear before they had time to retaliate, appearing off in the distance to fire off several spells while they were still disoriented. Her enemies would not expect a mage to assault them close-range, and she used it to her advantage.

It was a constant reminder of her reputation as a Templar hunter, and it did not comfort him in the least.

It was the same with the four other enchanters that usually accompanied Karliah, those known as the Four Horsemen. They were all powerful in their own right, leagues beyond the average mage, and just as experienced as she was. Together, they made a terrifying team, and Cullen could easily see how just those five mages could take on a Templar army. He dared not consider what their kill count could be, or whether they had killed anyone he had once known. It would not do to dwell on such thoughts.

Shanelle, the Rivaini shaman, made his Templar instincts practically scream _danger!_ She used forbidden magic, often enough that it had permanently stained her aura. He could tell that she held back in the sparring matches, using spells that seemed unpracticed to the ex-templar. Similarly, the elven man known as Orphin also seemed to be holding back, though Cullen could not guess his particular magic from his aura. Something wild and strange, something he had never felt before.

The young rascal of a mage, Micah, was a force mage of such power that had he remained in the Kirkwall tower, Meredith might have made him Tranquil _just in case_. Though the Force specialization was invented in Kirkwall, Cullen had never seen it before, as it was explicitly forbidden under Meredith's rule. He had heard that the Champion of Kirkwall used force magic, but only caught glimpses of it in the final battle before Hawke had disappeared.

Hadir was the only one Cullen was comfortable around. Being a First Enchanter meant that the man was more comfortable with Templars, and was used to cooperating with them. Despite the annulment of his Circle, Hadir was the only one who did not treat Cullen like a potential enemy. Even if the man was a cranky old man most days

"Commander."

Cullen snapped to attention as one of his lieutenants approached him with a clipboard and handed it to him. A message from Corporal Vale in the Hinterlands. The commander's lips bent into a frown as his eyes skimmed the letter. There was trouble in the valley.

Again.

 _Maker, that place is a mess._ Cullen thought in exasperation.

As the sound of crunching snow caught his attention, Cullen caught sight of Karliah and Shanelle rounding the training fields, heading towards the mage camp. They would pass him, coincidentally, which was just as well.

"Lady Karliah!" Cullen called out as the women came within distance. The two witches seemed startled as his sudden attention.

He watched as Karliah and the Rivaini exchanged unreadable looks, before they broke apart, and Shanelle continued back to camp. Karliah approached him with ill-concealed caution, tense and ready for a fight. Then again, she always seemed ready for a fight.

"Ser Cullen?" She raised her brows as she came to stand before him, looking up into his face. Pale bangs fell into her eyes, thought they failed to hide the suspicious bandages wrapped around her forehead.

"My men are having some trouble with the remaining mage camps throughout the Hinterlands." Cullen told her.

"Well, they are not mine." The mage leader lifted a brow as if to say ' _And_ _what do you want me to do about it?'_

 _Obstinate woman_. Cullen hid his exasperation as he continued, "I was wondering if you would have any knowledge of their movements, or where they might be hiding?"

Karliah leaned on one leg as she crossed her arms and cupped her chin. "Perhaps," She hummed, "I don't know if I'd be able to point the locations out on a map. And I can only point out places where my own people once camped – I don't actually know where these maleficar would be."

"That is all I ask." Cullen said as he motioned for Karliah to follow him back to the Chantry. He wasn't actually sure if she would or not, and held his breath as she clearly hesitated, before her shoulders relaxed.

She followed the commander into the village, ignoring the wide eyes and whispers of the villagers as she passed them. Karliah had only ever been inside Haven once or twice to speak with Leliana, and like the rest of Ramu Spiritu, avoided the ordinary citizens as much as possible. As a result, she seemed to have become an urban legend, a mythical figure with rumors almost as ridiculous as those of the Herald. Between her unusual appearance and her reputation on the field, it was no surprise that the people were fascinated by her. As far as Cullen knew, the rumors about her ranged from demonic rituals to Tevinter spy. He even overheard a person ask if she was even human.

Some made the sign against evil as she passed, other seemed to struggle to restrain themselves from touching her as she walked by. Fade-touched was the technical term, Cullen remembered from his days in the Circle. But to the commoners without basic knowledge of magic, she was either touched by a demon or by the Maker. Those that thought the latter were eager to catch a glimpse of her, 'accidentally' brushing against her as they walked past or managing to obtain a strand of her snowy hair.

"You make quite an entrance." Cullen muttered over his shoulder when he noticed the way the people were reacting to Karliah.

The witch carefully maneuvered herself through the crowds so that she was outside of touching distance of anyone at all times, her pale eyes flashing with a warning to those that got too close.

"Indeed." She stated dryly.

The commander was thankful that they were able to slip into the Chantry without being harassed by that damn Chancellor, who would no doubt make things worse with the mages if he ever got within spitting distance of them. Maker help him if the chancellor picked a fight with Karliah; Cullen might not even try to help him then. Karliah was quiet as she followed him to the back of the Chantry and into the room where he and the other advisors had set up their war table, a map of the entirety of Thedas spread before them.

"An impressive map." Karliah's voice surprised him. He had not expected her to speak first.

Cullen was even more surprised when the witch trailed her fingers across the paper gently, reverently, her eyes far away. She seemed almost in awe of the fine craftsmanship, the carefully measured lines, curling script, and the brush watercolors.

"Yes, um," Cullen cleared his throat, fighting back the sheepish feeling as he admitted, "It was part of my personal collection."

Karliah's eyes flickered to him briefly, like a flash of metal in the sun, regarding him with something almost… human. "I had one once. I liked to imagine all the places I would see one day."

He gathered from her statement that it was a dream from her childhood, before she would learn that mages would never be allowed to travel outside of their respective towers. Was that why she left? No, there was something else. A shadow in her eyes, similar to his own. An ache, a sadness, a scar.

But that was not why they were here.

"This is the Hinterlands." Cullen pointed down at the map, tracing the Redcliffe valley.

"Hm," Karliah mused and leaned over the map, her messy ponytail slipping over her shoulder so that the tips of her tresses curled onto the paper. "Too bad you don't have a map of just Ferelden… Or a magnifying glass. I can hardly see the ridges, let alone point out the hidden alcoves of the valley."

"I have a map of Ferelden in my room." Cullen suddenly remembered. "Be right back."

The commander spun around and exited the room, turning down one of the corridors of the Chantry were he and the other advisors had claimed rooms for themselves. He had a lone bookcase in his room, and a single chest filled with his few belongings. His maps were the only extravagant items that he owned, aside from his armor. Other than that, he had only brought some plain clothes and a few mementos from his past.

Karliah was leaning against table when he returned, arms crossed as she half-sat on the edge, eyes distant and lips pursed. She seemed lost in her thoughts when he returned, blinking twice before realizing he was back.

"Here." Cullen said as he laid out the Ferelden map on top of the one of Thedas, using a few metal figurines to weigh down the edges.

Karliah's gaze swept over the map, looking vaguely amused. "Someone is well prepared. This is much better."

She leaned over the map and began to skim it carefully, eyeing the land silently for a long moment before she began picking up a few of the figurine markers.

"These are the most likely places the maleficar are hiding." Karliah tapped the map, turning to him. "We used them as temporary campsites, usually. I doubt they are traveling in large groups, so have your men be on the lookout for small caves and hidden alcoves."

Cullen picked up his clipboard and turned the paper over, writing down the locations she had pointed out. "My thanks."

Karliah hummed a noncommittal reply as she nodded and turned to leave.

"Um…" Cullen started, then paused uncertainly.

She paused at the doorway, waiting for the commander to continue.

"I know things are… tense… at the moment." He tried not to stammer as he regarded the witch. "But I would like to think that most of us – the Inquisition, I mean – want to make things work with the mages. Not all of us hate you, or think you all are monsters."

Something flickered in her eyes, an emotion deep and conflicting before it disappeared behind that distant demeanor that she used as a shield against the rest of the world.

"No, not all of you." Her voice was almost sad. "But just enough of you do."

Then the door slammed shut behind her.

* * *

"What did the pretty bastard want?" Shanelle bombarded her with questions when she returned to the camp.

" _Pretty_ bastard?!" Micah exclaimed, giving the blood mage a betrayed look. "He's not _that_ good looking!"

Shanelle rolled her eyes. "Boy, if he wasn't a magic-fearing templar and pious man of the Maker, I'd be riding that man so hard –"

"Shanelle!" Orphin snapped, zapping her with a static shock. "We're in public!"

A few of the other female mages around the campfire giggled, seemingly in agreement with the Rivaini's suggestive words. The younger females, Neera and Lisa, were turning bright red, while Ricardo roared with laughter. At least the children had already gone to bed.

Karliah let out a soft huff of laughter at their antics. "Well, apparently they are still having trouble with some uncontrolled maleficar in the Hinterlands, so he wanted my opinion on where they might be hiding."

"You didn't give away _our_ hiding spots… right?" Micah asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Of course not!" Karliah scoffed, giving him an offended look. "I doubt those maleficar are smart enough to find our hideouts anyway."

There were one or two cave systems that Ramu Spiritu had left full of backup supplies in case they had to flee the Inquisition, the entrances caved in to keep away looters. Micah and Hadir were already in the process of creating secret paths out of the valley, marking the way and creating barriers and traps for those who might follow them. None of the mages really trusted the Inquisition at this point, and the incident with the templar only seemed to fuel their efforts to prepare for a potential falling-out.

So far, only the elders in the group knew of the contingency plans, save for Ricardo, who was far too clever sometimes. As it was, the young Antivan was eyeing her meaningfully, conveying his unease on the matter. The boy was eager to join the Inquisition's forces, though he had yet to approach Cullen about signing up, probably waiting for the tension between the soldiers and Ramu Spiritu to calm down first.

"You think he'll ask about deploying us soon?" Ricardo asked aloud. Neera and Lisa stilled at that, both of them being pacifists, and Neera still untried in battle. However, there was a spark of interest in Lisa's eyes that Karliah knew all too well. A restless look, eager to see the world.

"I doubt it." One of their healers said, an older woman from the Marches. "Lady Karliah and the Four Horsemen are our only offensive mages."

" _Now_ , anyway." Ricardo pointed out. "But Lisa and I are old enough to join now. We've already participated in a few of the skirmishes in the Hinterlands." The teenager turned to beseech Karliah and the horsemen. "And _you_ guys taught us how to fight! I dare say we are more prepared than any other mage at our age!"

Karliah stared at the young man with a conflicted expression as Hadir and Orphin exchanged meaningful looks, but the men stayed out of it. They knew that Ricardo and Karliah had a special bond. This would be Karliah's decision.

She had taken in Ricardo when she had first come to Ferelden, having been outside of Denerim when the tower there fell. She had rescued Ricardo from bandits, lanky and clumsy, still so young and inexperienced. He had not known how to live outside the Circle, did not know how to make money or hunt for food. Tan, aristocratic features and curly black hair gave him away as clearly foreign in a country that was not always kind to outsiders. It had been two years since then, and though she had taught him how to fight, she still wanted to protect him. A boy… now a man.

Karliah sighed. "You're right. I can't protect you forever."

She beckoned him over and stared up into his hopeful face, full of youth and fire and determination. He had always been taller than her, but he had continued to grow in the years of war, and now stood head and shoulders above her. She placed her hand on his face and cupped his cheek in a motherly gesture.

"I've been denying you out of my own fear to see you go." She admitted. "But you are ready. You have always been ready."

Ricardo grinned, unable to hide his excitement. He had the most charming smile, roguish and teasing, and she knew that had there been no war, if he had remained in the Circle, Ricardo no doubt would have broken many hearts.

"However," Karliah allowed her lips to curve upwards. "You need to pass my final test." She glanced around him at Lisa. "Both of you."

All the color drained from their faces as both teenagers cringed. Micah let out a guffaw of laughter as Orphin and Shanelle smirked along with her. Hadir shook his head at them in pity. Karliah's teaching methods were as brutal as they were effective.

"Meet me on the training grounds at dawn." Karliah smirked at their eyes widening in fear as she turned to her tent. "Show me everything you've got."

The leader of Ramu Spiritu disappeared between the flaps of her tent, a chuckling Rivaini following after her.

"Ricardo!" Lisa hissed, making the Antivan turn to face her. "What have you done?!"

The young man was still in shock, staring at the entrance to Karliah's tent.

"I will pray for your souls." Hadir intoned grimly as he decided to turn in as well, Orphin and Micah following behind him, the force mage snickering all the way back to bed.

Ricardo gulped. " _Dios_ …"

* * *

 **Remember to leave a review!**


	10. Chapter 10 - Strength and Weakness

**No Karliah POV today. Instead, we get to see from Cullen's and Cedric's POV! Lots of things happening in this chapter, so let's go!**

 **STANDARD DISCLAIMER THING**

* * *

 **Cullen POV**

The next morning the commander of the Inquisition was surprised to see that almost the entirety of the mage camp was standing around the training arena, and the morning horn had yet to wake his soldiers. There was an eager excitement in the air, and he watched as more than a few of the civilians from Haven wondered over to see what was going on. Unable to resist his curiosity, Cullen joined them, maneuvering his way through the crowd to reach the edge of the training grounds, where several mages working to keep the civilians from getting any closer to the training grounds, giving the arena wide berth. Cullen felt an invisible barrier cast between the spectators and the sparring ring as well.

"You're just in time, commander."

Cullen was surprised to find himself standing next to Hadir. "What's going on here?"

The horseman chuckled. "Karliah is giving a final test to her oldest students, before she allows them to join your Inquisition."

His brows came together in confusion. "Aren't you guys already part of the Inquisition?"

"Yes, but Ramu Spiritu is a strictly noncombatant group." Hadir told him. "Ricardo and Lisa want to join your Inquisition officially. As soldiers."

Ah, now Cullen realized what he was implying. The two students would be leaving Karliah's care and joining the army, no longer under the protection of Ramu Spiritu. They would be leaving the nest, so to speak.

"Here we go." Hadir's voice drew Cullen's attention back to the ring.

Karliah stepped into the arena dressed in her usual battlemage armor, and on the opposite side of her, two younger mages took their positions, wearing proper robes instead of civilian clothing. One was a tall, broad young man, tanned and muscular enough that Cullen would have mistaken him for a soldier if it wasn't for the staff in his hands and his magical aura. Ricardo, he would assume. The other must be Lisa, a young woman with long brown curls and wide blue eyes, looking far too nervous to be joining in battle. She grasped her staff tightly, as if to keep her hands from trembling, shoulders hunched as uncertainty showed plainly on her features.

"Two on one?" Cullen asked Hadir skeptically.

The First Enchanter smirked back at him. "Don't you worry, commander. Karliah could take on an army."

"You know, that doesn't make me feel better." Cullen crossed his arms as the man beside him snorted humorously.

Without warning, the Antivan boy attacked, leaping forward and slamming his staff into the ground. The earth rose like a wave, sweeping towards Karliah so fast Cullen would have missed it if he had blinked. Without so much as flinching, Karliah held up her hand and the earth stilled as it rose above her, a frozen wave just before the crash. It obstructed Cullen's view of the woman before the earth shattered and several stone fists were sent flying back towards the students.

Surprisingly, Lisa stepped forward and waved her arms, a physical barrier of some sort flickering to life in front of her and Ricardo. It bore one, two, three hits, before the barrier fell away, and the younger mages were forced to dodge.

The boy rolled and came back up fast, sending a barrage of energy blasts towards Karliah, who twirled her staff to knock them away or deflect them so that they went flying towards Lisa instead. The girl let out a yelp at the unexpected attack, scrambling at first to block the blasts as she got back on her feet.

Ricardo pressed forward with his attacks, casting a glyph beneath Karliah's feet, finally forcing the witch to move. She dove away just as the glyph exploded, rolling and coming back up and slamming her staff into the ground just as lightning rained from the sky. Ricardo cast a barrier while the girl held out her arms and welcomed the lightning as it struck her.

Cullen and the rest of the civilians gasped in horror, thinking that Lisa would fry to death. Instead, the girl seemed to light up with energy as her hair curled and frizzed and stood on end as she spun her staff and directed it towards Karliah, releasing the electricity she had absorbed in one powerful arc that seemed to hang in the air for an unnaturally long time.

Karliah was suddenly covered head to toe in some sort of rock armor, which protected her from the strike and directed the energy into the ground which negated it. Then, as it began to crumble away, she struck back with a large ball of flame, forcing Lisa to dive out of the way.

Ricardo attempted to catch her from behind with Winter's Grasp, but as if sensing the split-second in which the air chilled around her, Karliah stepped through the Fade, the frost lingering in the air where she once stood before falling to the ground and melting. The witch popped back up right in front of Ricardo and immediately began attacking him physically, her staff spinning and lunging as fast as any man with a blade.

Cullen found himself impressed as Ricardo met her blow for blow, his face scrunched in concentration as he just-barely kept up with his teacher. Not many mages took the time to learn how to fight without magic. It was their downfall in most situations on the field – one hit with a dispel casting, and they were suddenly useless. But Karliah was as dangerous with her staff as any warrior who trained with a polearm, slashing and stabbing with the bladed end, too close and too fast for Ricardo to conjure his magic.

He watched as Lisa sent energy blasts at Karliah's back, only for the woman to Fade-step out of the way once again, somehow aware of the sneak attack. The witch seemed to have a sixth-sense when it came to magical attacks, acting almost before her apprentice had even completed casting her spell.

Karliah's laughter echoed in the air as Ricardo was met with a face full of ice, knocking him onto his back. Lisa gasped and yelled a quick apology to her teammate as she spun around to catch Karliah's staff just before the blade could slice into her shoulder. It was a close call, the blade screeching as it grinded against the metal of Lisa's staff.

The crowd all seemed to gasp and yelp, thinking that the girl was going to be sliced in half.

"Maker!" Cullen raised his brows. "She really doesn't hold back, huh?"

Hadir chuckled. "We have healers on hand." He assured the commander, who sent him an incredulous look.

"Are you serious?" And Cullen had thought his Templar trainers had been sadistic.

"No better way to learn from your mistakes." Hadir smirked as the ex-Templar shook his head in disbelief.

Maybe he should recruit Karliah to help him train his men. It wasn't a bad idea, actually. The soldiers were sorely lacking in experience facing magi. Though he would have to ask Karliah to show a bit more restraint. He didn't want his soldiers coming back from practice with life-threatening wounds.

Lisa kicked out against Karliah, who leapt back and swiped out her hand to create a wall of fire between them. The fire raced towards Lisa, who quickly pulled up a barrier and ran _into_ the flames so that they slipped off her barrier as they traveled away from the caster.

Now both Ricardo and Lisa advanced on their teacher, staffs spinning as they sent wave after wave of energy blasts at Karliah. Most impressive was that Karliah managed to keep up with both of them, spinning her staff and moving simultaneously, effectively dodging and blocking every attack as if it was a rehearsed dance, so light on her feet it seemed like they no longer touched the ground.

"Wow." Cullen couldn't help but gawk at Karliah's skills.

Hadir nodded. "She's playing with them."

"I'd hate to see her when she's pissed." Cullen stated dryly.

Hadir nodded solemnly, his eyes flashing dark with a memory. "No. No you wouldn't."

And then Karliah was _moving_ , so fast that Cullen's eyes only saw a blur, and then she was in front of Lisa, slamming the broad side of her staff into the girl's stomach with such force that Cullen heard the weapon connect with the girl's flesh. Everyone in the crowd winced as Lisa immediately doubled over, and Karliah was already lifting her staff up to strike the girl's head – only to be interrupted by a wall of earth coming between her and Lisa and pushing them apart. Ricardo sent the wall of earth crashing down on Karliah, hoping to push her back while Lisa recovered, but as the earth swept over the witch it split down the middle, Karliah's hand outstretched.

Cullen heard the boy curse as he lunged forward to drag the still-stunned Lisa out of Karliah's range. By now the girl was recovering, standing tall but still struggling to breathe.

"Together!" Ricardo hissed to Lisa, and by some unspoken order, the two began casting together, Ricardo moving his arms at the sky while Lisa stabbed her staff into the ground and held on with both hands.

Cullen's templar senses began going off just as there was a crack and a flash and a _bang!_

A whirlwind of fire and electricity was swirling in the arena, rising into the sky and lighting up what shadows yet lingered in the dawn. The civilians shrieked and drew back from the arena, only the mages of Ramu Spiritu remaining at the edges, confident in the barriers they had casted earlier. Cullen would admit that he too had flinched as the storm roared into existence, though he did not draw away. Hadir seemed unconcerned next to him, so the commander forced himself to relax.

"Mixing elements is actually quite hard." Hadir suddenly spoke above the roar of flame and lightning. "Both casters must be aware of the flow of magic, their own magic, and that of their partner. Then they must sync the two together – like tuning two instruments. All the while, they must maintain absolute control on the element in question, especially in a spell as large as this one."

"And you trust them?" Cullen dared to ask.

Hadir sent him an amused look. "Karliah trained them herself. I would expect nothing less than perfection."

High praise indeed. Cullen turned his attention back to the battle, where to his surprise, Karliah still seemed to have the upper hand. Standing in the middle of a storm of destruction, Karliah was utterly untouched. If he squinted, he could see the glimmer of a barrier around her, clearly powerful enough to withstand the battering of the elements. It was no normal barrier, the templar felt something like… spirit magic… emanating from it. A spirit barrier? He'd heard of them, though they were rare and not necessarily Chantry-approved, since it required the presence of an actual spirit.

When the storm finally died down, the two students dropped to their knees, panting.

Cullen stared incredulously at Karliah. She didn't even look tired! Aside from her windswept hair and some dirt lingering on her armor, he would never have guessed that she just came out of a fight. And now that he thought about it, her students had done most of the fighting. Karliah mainly deflected and dodged.

"How…"

Hadir eyed the commander carefully, waiting to see if the ex-Templar would see Karliah as a threat or not. Most Templars did not react kindly in the face of a powerful mage. Most First Enchanters rarely displayed their full power before the Templars, and Karliah was easily at that level or higher. Most Templars would find a reason to make such a powerful mage Tranquil rather than risk their continued existence.

Cullen did not notice the man slowly reaching into his belt where a knife was hidden.

"That was terrifying." Cullen murmured. "And amazing. Suddenly I'm glad she's on our side!"

Hadir relaxed, turning back to the sparring ring. "Come, let us congratulate them."

A young elf woman was already entering the arena, the healer quickly scanning each mage for injuries, even Karliah, though the witch waved her off. Other than mana exhaustion, no one was seriously hurt. Though Lisa would have some serious bruising, and Ricardo had some frost-burn where he had been hit by friendly fire, they all seemed fine. Cullen followed Hadir into the ring, hanging back in case his presence was not appreciated.

"You two did well." Karliah praised her students as she and Neera helped them to their feet.

Ricardo frowned. "But… You did not even break a sweat!"

Karliah chuckled and patted his back. "You didn't expect to defeat your master on the first try, did you?" She winked at him.

"You… suck…" Lisa wheezed as she winced, Neera placing a glowing hand above her bruised ribs.

"Pain is weakness leaving the body, kids."

Cullen snorted, and Karliah finally seemed to notice his presence.

"Ah, commander." She greeted him, though the warmth in her voice was suddenly a little more forced. "Enjoy the show?"

"It was certainly more exciting than morning drills." He responded.

Her eyes glanced at the sky, eyebrows raising. "Ah, my apologies. It seems our spar has intruded on your training schedule."

Cullen shrugged. "It is not too bad. I'll just have the men work a little later than usual. Besides, I think everyone enjoyed watching you three."

Karliah did not seem pleased at that. Hm.

He noticed Ricardo and Lisa eyeing him with hopeful expressions. "I've seen my fair share of battle magic, and I have to say, your students are more than impressive." The teenagers beamed at the praise.

Karliah's expression softened as she glanced at them. "They are not my students anymore, commander."

Ricardo and Lisa's eyes widened comically as they spun around to regard her.

"You mean – "

"Are we – "

Hadir nodded as he stepped next to Karliah. "You two are official enchanters now. Congratulations."

Cullen couldn't help but smile as the two young mages whooped with joy, hugging each other, and then dragging the other young mage into a group hug, the elf girl scowling as they smothered her. Karliah and Hadir exchanged amused looks at their antics.

"How about you kids come speak to me once you're done celebrating." Cullen told them, glancing at Karliah, who nodded her approval. "And we'll see what we can do with you."

He nodded at them in farewell as he turned to walk away, chuckling at the excited words spilling out of the teens as he left. Karliah and Hadir began to usher the mages back to their camp while Cullen and his lieutenants barked at people to clear the training area. Most of the soldiers were already up and present, so Cullen immediately called them into formation.

They weren't getting a day off that easily.

* * *

 **Cedric POV**

Karliah was avoiding him. He was sure of it.

After the return to Haven, it was understandable that she would be busy organizing Ramu Spiritu in preparation for the arrival of the Rebellion faction, and maybe try to smooth things over with the Templars (though somehow he doubted it… Karliah clearly had a distaste for them). At the same time, Cedric had been swept away by Leliana and Josephine, arranging trade agreements for lyrium ( _cough_ Carta! _cough)_ , sending missives to the Chantry in Val Royeaux and to his family in Ostwick, ambassadors to Orzammar, agents to infiltrate the Orlesian court, and increasing supply lines with local merchants for tents, clothing, and food shipments.

A week passed, they were expecting the Rebel mages to arrive any day now, and Cedric had yet to see hide or hair of Karliah. It was only when he heard a commotion from the training grounds that he finally caught sight of her trademark platinum hair, pulled back in a long braid as she danced around the sparring arena, practically toying with her apprentices as the two hopeless mages attempted to land a hit on their master. The Herald climbed onto the battlements of the village to watch the match from above the crowd, smirking at the sight.

 _Poor sods._ Cedric thought with amusement, knowing that the young magi had a lot to learn before they were anywhere near her league. Karliah had always had incredible self-discipline and control. It was what had endeared her to their teachers back in Ostwick, a talented student that bordered on a prodigy and never seemed to struggle in any subject. She only ever made a mistake once. He was sure that if Karliah had remained in Ostwick, the First Enchanter would have chosen her as his apprentice instead.

 _But, perhaps it is better that things turned out this way._ Cedric thought to himself. The tower had always been too small for Karliah, stifling her spirit and her powers. It was clear to him that Karliah had blossomed into her full potential in her time as an apostate. He was almost jealous.

His attention was pulled back to the spar between Karliah and her students as a whirlwind of fire and lightning formed above them, the two apprentices putting their powers together and calling down an terrifying storm.

Cedric was impressed. _She taught them to sync their magic together. Impressive._

Still, Karliah seemed unfazed by the elements tearing up the field. There was some sort of barrier surrounding her body, coating her body like a second skin, a spell Cedric was unfamiliar with. It must have been quite strong to withstand the storm for so long.

When the fire and electricity died down, he could see the younger mages slouch in disbelief that Karliah was still standing. The battle was over.

She and Hadir spoke with the apprentices for a moment, the teenagers immediately perking up and jumping with celebration. Good news, then.

Cedric was more surprised to see Cullen walk onto the field, though the tension in his shoulders revealed his unease being surrounded by so many mages. After speaking with Karliah and the apprentices, the mages of Ramu Spiritu cleared the field, returning en masse to their camp, while Cullen barked orders at his lieutenants and every soldier in hearing distance snapped to attention.

Cedric found himself amused at the commander as the soldiers scrambled onto the field, having made the mistake of underestimating Cullen's commitment to training. There would never be a day off unless Cullen was six feet under. The man did not seem to understand the concept of relaxation.

Cedric could not fault him, however. Their soldiers were exceptionally well-trained in the short amount of time the Inquisition had been established.

The Herald spun around and climbed down from the wall, exiting Haven's gates and walking at a brisk pace towards the mage camp, Karliah's hair like a beacon among her peers. Cedric felt himself relax as he walked among the mages, breathing in the tang of magic, ignoring the looks of surprise and awe that followed him. He had forgotten how it felt to be surrounded by mages. There was a sense of companionship between all mages, no matter what country or race they hailed from. They shared the burdens of discrimination and oppression, the constant fear of demons, and felt an unconscious connection with each other through the Fade.

It did not escape his notice that a few of the adults had taken up strategic places around the edges of the mage camp, pretending to relax on a bench or have a small conversation where they lingered at the edges of their space. They carefully watched and took note of the people passing by, their sharp eyes keeping curious villagers and watchful Templars at bay.

"Herald!" Several people gasped as Cedric walked by.

"Your Worship." Others bowed their heads.

There was something different in how the mages approached Cedric in their camp. The people of Haven were in awe of his presence, they saw him as divine, and often kept their distance from him out of fear and respect. It was not so with the mages of Ramu Spirit. Perhaps it had to do with their experience with Karliah and her own supernatural image, but the mages were more relaxed around Cedric, and welcomed him as one of their own.

"It's him!"

Cedric glanced up to see several young magi crowd around him with curious expressions. They were of varying heights and ages, elf and human, and painfully skinny.

"Hi!" They chirped at him like eager students.

"Are you really holy?"  
"'Course not! Everyone knows the Maker is bullshit."

"Shut up, Malcom!"

"Make me, Laurent!"

Cedric chuckled as two of the boys devolved into an argument and seemed to forget about his very presence. Distracted, the other kids pushed the arguing duo to the back of the group.

"Why! He's human!" Someone else exclaimed.

"Well the Maker's Herald wouldn't be an _elf!_ " An elven kid rolled her eyes.

"He's a little short, don't you think?"

"And skinny!"

 _Ouch._ Cedric chuckled at their blunt comments. Children sure didn't hold back.

"Wait! You're – You're Conrad's apprentice!"

Cedric turned at that, blinking in surprise to see a vaguely familiar face among the apprentices. She was taller than most, a teenager in a sea of shorter children. A young elf, with short-cropped red hair, tan Marcher skin, and wide green eyes.

"I'm Neera. I was in Ostwick too." The she-elf told him, dipping her head in greeting. Then she turned her gaze on the squabbling children around them and began waving them away. "Don't you guys have lessons? Get!"

The children jumped and giggled as they dispersed, a few of them grumbling as they stalked back to their teachers.

"You went to Ostwick? Apologies for not recognizing you." Cedric gave her a sheepish smile.

Neera shrugged. "I was – am – still an apprentice and much younger than you. I lived in the lower levels. We rarely crossed paths." She eyed him for a second before asking, "You come here for a reason, Herald? We don't normally get visitors in our camp."

 _You're too young to be so suspicious._ Cedric thought, then inwardly winced at how old he sounded. "I'm looking for Karliah."

"Ah…" Neera glanced around. "She's around here somewhere. Our fearless leader tends to wander off."

Cedric chuckled at her dry voice. Clearly, the elf found Karliah more amusing than intimidating. At least Karliah's followers were unafraid of her.

"If she's assisting in one of the lessons, they are likely by the lake or in the woods." Neera told him as she began to walk. Cedric followed her, not knowing what else to do. The elf seemed to know what she was doing. "She doesn't really keep a schedule."

"How are the lessons, by the way?" Cedric inquired. "You think they hold up to Circle standards?"

Neera snorted. "Yes and no. Our students probably learn more than they would in the Circle. Without Chantry oversight, the professors have a lot more freedom in their classes now that they don't have to worry about a templar lopping off their head mid-lesson when they mention something outside the books. Not that we're teaching dark magic or anything –" The girl quickly amended, "But the Chantry was always quite strict on what we could learn."

"What do you mean?" Cedric asked her.

"Well, for example, not all spells from Tevinter require blood magic and human sacrifice." Neera informed him. "They have the most advanced magical knowledge of our time, and we could vastly improve our magical theories and abilities by reading their texts." She pointed to herself. "I am a healer, for example. And the best healers are spirit healers – a school which is forbidden by the Chantry because they think that everything in the Fade is evil and they refuse to differentiate between spirit and demon. But the Tevinters have been freely interacting with the denizens of the Fade for centuries. Their knowledge of spirits and their uses are unparalleled."

"You want to be a spirit healer?" An impressive goal. Cedric had heard of them, but he had little knowledge of what was required to become one.

The elf nodded, her expression lighter and distant. "The difference between a normal healer and a spirit healer is… exponential. A spirit healer can cast on more than one person at a time, for one thing, and call upon benevolent spirits to protect their companions during battle. They can heal injuries others cannot. They don't waste as much magic healing because they can channel energy directly from the Fade, so they last longer on the field."

She was clearly passionate about the subject, rambling on and appearing to forget him presence altogether at one point. Cedric chuckled at the girl; it reminded him of other mages that often lost themselves in their research. As she continued to speak about spirit healers, magical research, and the "Ramu Spiritu school for lost magi", Neera led him down to the lake and through the woods as they searched for Karliah. There were several classes being held around the lake, each with ten to twenty students, subjects ranging from history and reading to spellcasting and magical theory. Many of the younger children were still learning how to read and write, while the older kids practiced controlling their magic and learning how to hold a staff.

 _It's amazing what they've created here._ Cedric was astonished. _A school for magic without Templar oversight._

"Have you guys ever had an abomination?" The Herald asked Neera.

She shook her head. "No. Then again, Karliah and Hadir were always very careful about the type of mages allowed to stay with us. Most of the volatile mages went to join the Rebellion anyway; they saw no reason to stick around."

"Still an impressive feat with the number of magi in Ramu Spiritu." Cedric said. "Especially with children."

"Rosier, one of the enchanters, is a capable ward caster." Neera informed him. "Together with Karliah and Shanelle, they were able to create wards against demons in the Fade around us."

His eyebrows rose up in surprise. "What kind of magic is that?"

She just shrugged. "You'll have to ask them. A complicated combination of wards and spirit magic would be my guess. But I am still just an apprentice."

They were still roaming the woods around Haven and the lake, keeping an eye out for a head of white as they passed the various groups of mages. The next group of magi that they passed was being lectured by Orphin, who seemed to be demonstrating different types of primal magic.

"Ah, Ser Orphin." Neera called out as they approached. The older elf stopped to look up as she approached alongside the Herald.

"Neera? Aren't you assisting Hadir at this time of day?" Orphin asked her, nodding towards Cedric in a silent greeting.

"Well, I was going to escort Ser Cedric to see Lady Karliah first. But we haven't been able to find her." The apprentice told him.

"Ah." Orphin seemed to remember something. "Yes, she and Shanelle were heading up to the temple."

"What?!" Both Neera and Cedric exclaimed.

Orphin waved at them to calm down. "Don't worry, they are just going to survey the situation before the Rebellion mages arrive."

Cedric opened his mouth to protest the action, but was swiftly interrupted by Orphin.

"She is well aware of the dangers, my friend." Orphin glanced at the Herald, then back to young elf next to him. "Lethallan, would you please escort my students back to camp? I'll take it from here."

She complied without protest, though she may have hesitated for a moment. Orphin dismissed his class with a lazy wave, the kids cheering as they raced back to the camp to enjoy their freedom, before he led Cedric out of the woods and onto the mountain path that connected Haven to where the Temple of Sacred Ashes once stood.

"So." Cedric eyed the elf out of the corner of his eye. "Why is Karliah really at the temple grounds?"

"I believe Karliah would prefer to tell you herself, once we are there." Orphin answered cryptically.

* * *

The old elf had long grey hair pulled back in a simple braid, tall and thin, wearing light armor that seemed to be a cross of Dalish leatherwork and scaled armor. Knee-high boots with leather leggings paired with a Dalish armored tunic atop a light mail tunic. He wore a long dark coat on top of it to ward off the cold Frostback air, the shoulders armored with dark metal, a staff of dark metal strapped to his back.

It was impossible to tell an elf's age, given their long lifespans, but Cedric guessed that Orphin was approaching old age, if the faint wrinkles on his face were anything to go by. Legends of the elves stated that once they had been immortal, and even today they usually lived longer than most humans, if they were lucky enough to avoid an untimely death. Hell, Cedric knew of elves that still looked twenty when they were in their forties. Orphin could have been between sixty and eighty for all he knew of elven aging.

Orphin did not seem like the type for small talk, so they walked in silence up the mountain, traversing the now-abandoned pilgrim's path. The Breach hung low in the sky, pulsing with soft green light, the clouds around it swirling slowly, ominously. Both of the mages could feel their magic reacting to the proximity of the Breach, humming just underneath their skin in anticipation.

As they rounded the corner to the final staircase that once led up to the temple grounds, Cedric was astonished to see Karliah sitting at the bottom of the stairs, slouching as she leaned onto her staff. He almost missed her, with her head down and strands of white falling from her shoulders like a waterfall, blending into the snow around them. Only her dark blue robe stood out against the bleak gray and white colors that engulfed the area around them.

"How is she?" Orphin asked, looking at Shanelle, who was standing next to Karliah with a concerned look.

Cedric felt worry creep into his mind when Karliah did not react to their voices, still staring at the ground and breathing deeply. Shanelle's expression was taut as she looked up to greet them, her eyes flickering curiously at the Herald's presence.

"This is as close as she can get to the Breach, apparently. We do not dare go any further." The Rivaini answered, directing her words towards Orphin. "She will not be able to help us close the Breach. It is too dangerous for them both."

Cedric raised his eyebrows at them, before turning his attention to Karliah. She was weary, he could tell from the slump of her proud shoulders and her grip on her staff, perhaps the only thing keeping her from falling face-first into the snow.

"Karliah?" He asked softly, approaching her. She shifted at his voice, and when she looked up at him, he felt the air catch in his throat.

Her eyes were… _glowing._ Like molten Silverite, flashing silver and gold, swirling with magic. And the veins at the corners of her eyes were glowing as well, the creases like cracks in a shell, a soft bluish-silver light leaking through. He felt something else watching him, then, looking through her eyes. Another presence, muted but aware.

"…Karliah?" He asked again, his voice unsure.

"She is speaking with it." Shanelle's voice interrupted. Cedric tore his gaze away from Karliah and turned to face the shaman.

"With _what?_ " He asked in a dangerously low voice, eyes narrowed with suspicion. _What had they been up to?_

Shanelle opted not to say anything else, her eyes returning to Karliah and making a motion for him to approach her. Cautiously, Cedric walked up to his old friend, kneeling in front of her to once again gaze into her unseeing eyes.

" _ **Cedric."**_

Nearly everyone jumped as Karliah spoke, her voice layered with another's, deep and genderless, echoing with magic.

 _Is she… possessed?_ Cedric thought with alarm, though he did not draw away from her. "… Karli?" He asked uncertainly.

" _ **I have been wanting to meet you for some time now."**_ The creature inside Karliah spoke, their voices overlapping, her eyes watching him with a distinctly inhuman stare. _ **"Karliah calls me Dawn."**_

"You're possessed!" Cedric gasped, jerking away and putting distance between them, reaching for his staff. It did not occur to him that neither Shanelle nor Orphin seemed surprised at this development.

" _ **I saved her!"**_ The thing inside Karliah nearly roared as she leapt to her feet, eyes blazing, hair whipping around her in an invisible wind, the air crackling with raw magic that Cedric had only ever felt in the Fade. Karliah's eyes blinked as her body stilled. _**"Ah. My apologies. I still struggle with emotions."**_

Cedric stared with his mouth hanging open. "What… what is going on here?!" He spun around to look at Orphin and Shanelle, who were watching both he and Karliah carefully.

"Dawn." Shanelle addressed the body of Karliah with a scolding tone. "Let Karliah speak."

Cedric turned back to watch as Karliah's eyes lost their glow, the magic humming under her skin calming to a slow thrum. She blinked once, twice, and then her eyes locked with his with an apologetic expression.

"Cedric…"

"What was that, Karliah?" He demanded in a harsh voice. Cedric could joke about a lot of things, but never abomination.

She opened her mouth to answer, but then another thought seemed to occur to her. Karliah glanced at Orphin and Shanelle, then slowly reached up to her head. Cedric watched in confusion as she began to unwrap the bandages that were always covering her forehead.

Cedric felt his heart stop at the sight of the sun burned into her skin, his stomach plummeting as bile rose up in his throat. Her forehead was melted and scarred, red around the edges as if it were still new.

 _The Tranquil Brand._

"N-no…" His voice cracked as he reached out to her, before letting his arm drop. "Maker…"

Karliah watched him with a sad expression, her eyes shadowed as she remembered the pain and fear that permeated her memories of the event.

"Are you even real?" Cedric asked her with a horrified look. "Is that really Karliah in there… or the spirit?"

"Both." She answered him softly. "The brand separates us from the Fade completely. Therefore, the only cure is to regain a piece of the Fade. To establish a permanent connection to it."

"How did you…" He trailed off, unsure of how she even managed to do such a thing.

"The spirit – Dawn – came to me after I was branded." Karliah told him. "It had been watching me during my imprisonment. From what I can gather, the spirit was angered at my unjust punishment, and merged with me to help me escape." Her eyes became unfocused as she recalled those memories. "I don't think either of us understood the severity of that action. Without Dawn's presence inside me, I revert to being a Tranquil. So the spirit and I are permanently bonded."

"Unjust punishment?" Cedric asked in a hard tone, his face darkening as his suspicions from years ago rose to the forefront of his mind. "What happened, Karliah? Why did you run away?"

There was a moment of tense silence as Karliah regarded him with resignation. Her gaze flitted up to Orphin and Shanelle, jerking her head to the side in a silent dismissal. Cedric heard the snow crunch under their feet as the two enchanters walked away, leaving them alone.

Karliah walked up to him, placing her hand gently on his arm. "I think you should take a seat, Cedric."

He looked down into her eyes and saw the answer he had been dreading to hear even before she said it. They had always suspected what might have happened that night, especially when the templar in question was reassigned the next day. But the dark, haunted look in her eyes, flickering with a deep and hidden pain... Suddenly, the answer was all too clear.

His eyes watered, the tears slipping onto his cheeks.

"Karli…" Cedric choked as he gathered her into his arms. "Oh, Karli… I'm so sorry."

* * *

 **Still haven't actually explained what happened to Karliah, though it's implied. We'll eventually get to the full story, which will come later, and rest assured there will be a trigger warning.**

 **Please leave a review!**


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